APC, PDP React as Canadian Court Declares Parties as Terrorist Groups
- The APC and the PDP have condemned the judgment of the Federal Court of Canada, tagging them as terrorist organisations
- Justice Phuong Ngo, in a judgment on June 17, 2025, classified the APC and the PDP as terrorist organisations, while denying Douglas Egbarevba, a former member of both parties, asylum
- Reacting, the PDP said the ruling was biased and misinformed, while the APC insisted that the party remained a democratic, credible organisation that did not need validation from a foreign court
The two major political parties in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have condemned the judgment of the Federal Court of Canada for declaring both of them as terrorist organisations.
The Federal Court of Canada had upheld the judgment that classified the APC and the PDP as terrorist organisations, while denying Douglas Egbarevba, a former member of both parties, asylum, over his decade-long affiliation with the two political parties.
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Source: Twitter
The Canadian court says PDP, APC are terrorist groups
Justice Phuong Ngo, in a judgment on June 17, 2025, struck out the application of Egharevba, seeking a judicial review after the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) said he was inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
The country's minister of public safety and emergency preparedness argued that the PDP and APC have been implicated in political violence, electoral bloodshed and subversion of democracy in Nigeria.
The court records indicated that Egharevba was a member of the PDP between 1999 to 2007 before his defection to the APC, where he was a member until 2017, when he moved to Canada and disclosed his political affiliation.
Canada flags Nigerian politician's affiliation to APC, PDP
His affiliation was then flagged by the Canadian immigration authorities, stating that intelligence reports linked the two parties to violence and politically motivated killings.
The IAD's decision was largely based on the PDP's conduct in the 2003 elections and 2004 local government polls, where the party was involved in voter intimidation, ballot stuffing and the killing of opposition members.
According to the tribunal, the PDP and APC leaders benefited from violence and never made any move to stop it, a situation that was in line with the legal definition of subversion in Canada's IRPA code.
Source: Twitter
PDP, APC reactions
Timothy Osadolor, the PDP deputy national youth leader, condemned the classification, saying that the court had been misinformed and the judgment was "biased and lacking evidence". He called for the outright dismissal of the judgment.
Also, the APC dismissed the Canadian court verdict, stating that the judge did not have the actual knowledge of the situation in Nigeria and insisted that the party was a "democratic political organisation" with credibility.
Ajibola Bashiru, the national secretary of the APC, explained that the party did not have to seek the "legitimacy from a foreign bench and under a law that has no extraterritorial application.”
SDP senator joins APC
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nasarawa South Senator Aliyu Wadada has dumped the SDP and declared himself as a member of the ruling APC.
The senator made the declaration following his closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja.
According to Wadada, there is no one in the opposition who would do what Tinubu has done if elected in the 2027 election.
Source: Legit.ng
