The Nigerian government has strongly rejected a recent decision by a Canadian Federal Court that designated the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “terrorist organizations”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the ruling as “baseless”, “reckless”, and an “unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and democratic processes”.
The court’s decision was made in a case involving Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian who applied for refugee status in Canada in 2017, citing persecution due to his membership in the PDP and later the APC.
The Nigerian government argues that the court’s accusation against the entire membership of the two major political parties is sweeping and unjustified, emphasizing that every member being labeled a potential terrorist is “completely false and unacceptable”.
The government has called on Canadian authorities to immediately retract the designation and refrain from actions that could be misconstrued as endorsing politically motivated narratives against Nigeria.
The APC has also faulted the Canadian court’s ruling, with its national secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, describing the judgment as ignorant and lacking jurisdiction over Nigerian political parties.
The Nigerian government reaffirmed its commitment to combating terrorism and urged the international community to disregard the court’s ruling, maintaining confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance and rule of law.
