Reactions as Canadian court declares APC, PDP terrorist organisations

APC, PDP logos

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned the decision of a Canadian court declaring Nigeria’s two major political parties, the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as terrorist organisations.

The party described the claim as ‘misinformed, biased, and lacking evidence,’ urging that it be dismissed outright.

Also, former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mr Olufemi Soneye decried the dangerous precedent the court verdict sets.

He said It was a political earthquake with consequences that could reverberate far beyond Canada’s borders, warning that “if democratic nations don’t push back on this kind of overreach, they may one day find their own politics on trial in a foreign court.”

The Federal Court of Canada upheld a ruling that classified Nigeria’s APC and PDP, as terrorist organisations, while denying asylum to a former member, Douglas Egharevba, over his decade-long affiliation with both parties.

Canadian court judgment

In a judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, Justice Phuong 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 the Peoples Gazette, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness had argued that the APC and PDP were implicated in political violence, subversion of democracy and electoral bloodshed in Nigeria.

Court records showed that Egharevba was a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 before joining the APC, where he remained until 2017. He moved to Canada in September 2017 and disclosed his political history.

Canadian immigration authorities flagged his affiliations, citing intelligence reports linking both parties to electoral violence and politically motivated killings.