APC, PDP reject Canadian court’s ruling labelling them terrorist groups

THE ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have fired back at a judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Phuong Ngo, following his ruling labelling the parties as ” terrorist organisations”.

The Canadian court had reportedly upheld a ruling that classified APC and the PDP as terrorist organisations, while denying asylum to a former member, Douglas Egharevba, over his decade-long affiliation with both parties.

In his judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, Ngo dismissed Egharevba’s application for judicial review after the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) found him inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

According to media reports, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness had argued that the APC and PDP were involved in political violence, subversion of democracy, and electoral bloodshed in Nigeria.

Egharevba was a member of the PDP from 1999 until he quit the party in 2007. He later joined the APC and also left the party 2017. Upon arriving in Canada, he disclosed his party affiliations.

The court ruled that his PDP membership made him inadmissible under Canadian law due to the party’s involvement in violence, intimidation, and other unlawful acts, which the court deemed to fit the definition of terrorism.

The court found both parties culpable but noted the PDP’s longer tenure in power meant it committed more offences. As a result, membership in these parties is grounds for inadmissibility in Canada.

Responding, the national secretary of APC, Ajibola Basiru, described the presiding judge as an ‘ignoramus’.

“We are not party to the suit and the court has no jurisdiction to determine the status of a Nigerian recognised political party, not to talk of declaring it as a terrorist organisation,” Basiru stated.

He described the APC as a credible democratic political organisation and expressed disappointment that some Nigerians, whom he characterised as desperate and unpatriotic, were allowing the country’s name to be dragged into “unfavourable international commentary due to their self-initiated asylum applications.”

He further stated that the judgment in question appeared to be biased and was narrowly focused on determining the applicant’s eligibility for asylum.

“The APC is a credible democratic political organisation and does not seek legitimacy from a foreign bench and under a law that has no extraterritorial application,” Bashiru stated.

Reacting to the judgment, the PDP described it as “misinformed, biased, and lacking evidence.”

The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, in an interview with Vanguard, said the ruling was unfounded and unjustified. He emphasised that Nigeria and Canada were both democracies and that such allegations should be handled with caution and precision.

He noted that people have the right to freedom of speech but should exercise it with circumspection. He argued that there was no evidence to support the claim that either party is a terrorist organisation.

He suggested that Canadian authorities should focus on specific allegations against individuals rather than making sweeping accusations.