The Federal Government has expressed outrage over a Canadian Federal Court decision that linked Nigeria’s major political parties to terrorism, describing the judgment as reckless, misleading, and a direct intrusion into the country’s sovereignty.
The controversial verdict, delivered on June 17, 2025, arose from an immigration case involving Douglas Egharevba, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Egharevba, who moved to Canada in 2017, had sought a review of an earlier ruling by the country’s Immigration Appeal Division, which found him ineligible to remain under Canada’s security laws.
Justice Phuong Ngo dismissed his application, upholding the tribunal’s decision that Egharevba’s long association with the PDP and APC rendered him inadmissible.
In affirming the ruling, the judge sustained a classification of both parties as terrorist organisations, insisting that the violent conduct of some party members and officials was too widespread to separate from the leadership.
Nigeria rejected this reasoning outright through a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and signed by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
The government faulted the court for making a blanket judgment against parties that operate legally and have played central roles in the nation’s democratic development.
“The ruling suggests that every member of the PDP and APC can be viewed as a terrorist. That position is false and a grave misrepresentation of Nigeria’s political system,” the ministry warned.
It stressed that Nigeria’s political parties are governed by constitutional provisions and function within democratic norms.
Nigeria further urged the Canadian government to reverse what it termed a “misguided designation” and to avoid lending credibility to politically motivated narratives.
While reaffirming its commitment to fighting terrorism and supporting global security efforts, Nigeria also advised its citizens against painting the country in a negative light abroad for the sake of asylum or immigration benefits.
Opposition platforms, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), argued that the ruling was likely influenced by reports of electoral fraud and recurring violence associated with Nigerian elections.
Meanwhile, the APC moved quickly to counter media reports suggesting it had been declared a terrorist group.
National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, clarified that the Canadian court never made such a determination.
According to him, the only mention of APC in the 16-page ruling came from Egharevba’s own background declaration form, where he claimed membership of PDP (1999–2007) and APC (2007–2017).
Morka dismissed the claim as factually impossible, noting that the APC did not even exist until its registration in 2013.
“It is, therefore, incorrect to suggest that the court made any ruling designating APC as a terrorist organisation,” he said, stressing that misreporting of the case had caused unnecessary confusion.