The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticised a recent Canadian court decision that classified Nigeria’s two dominant political parties the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as terrorist organisations.
Describing the ruling as “misinformed, biased, and devoid of credible evidence”, the opposition party called for the decision to be dismissed in its entirety.
Background to the Controversy
The dispute stems from a ruling by the Federal Court of Canada, which upheld an earlier decision by the country’s Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) that denied asylum to Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba.
Court documents revealed that Egharevba, a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 before joining the APC until 2017, sought refuge in Canada after relocating in September 2017. However, Canadian authorities determined that his decade-long involvement with both parties rendered him inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness alleged that the APC and PDP had been implicated in political violence, democratic subversion, and electoral bloodshed. The IAD’s decision cited incidents such as the 2003 state elections and 2004 local government polls, during which the PDP was accused of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, and violent attacks on opposition supporters.
Justice Phuong Ngo, in a judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, rejected Egharevba’s request for a judicial review, effectively affirming the IAD’s classification of the two parties as terrorist-linked entities.
PDP Responds
In a reaction reported by Vanguard, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor dismissed the ruling as both legally and factually flawed.
“Nigeria and Canada are both democracies, and while freedom of speech is guaranteed, such freedom must be exercised responsibly,” Osadolor stated. “There is nothing—no evidence whatsoever to suggest that the PDP, a credible political institution, or even the malfunctioning APC, qualifies as a terrorist organisation.”
Osadolor argued that if Canadian authorities had evidence linking specific individuals especially within the APC government to terrorism, they could pursue targeted accusations. He referenced past reports alleging that a Boko Haram leader was found in an apartment belonging to a prominent APC figure.
“To say an entire political party is a terrorist organisation is wrong,” he insisted, urging Canadian officials to avoid blanket classifications that implicate millions of members and supporters.
Broader Implications
The ruling has sparked debate over how foreign courts interpret political violence in Nigeria and whether party-level liability can be established for the actions of individual members. Legal experts warn that such classifications could have far-reaching consequences for international perceptions of Nigeria’s democracy and the eligibility of political actors seeking asylum abroad.
Meanwhile, neither the APC nor the Nigerian government has formally responded to the Canadian court’s decision.
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