The Federal Government of Nigeria has condemned a recent Canadian Federal Court ruling that classified the country’s major political parties—the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—as “terrorist organisations.”
In a statement released on Friday, August 15, 2025, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the ruling as “baseless, reckless, and an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs.”
The statement noted that the ruling arose from a case involving Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba, who applied for inland refugee status in Canada in September 2017 under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The Canadian court, however, extended its judgment beyond Mr. Egharevba’s individual case to label entire political parties as terrorist organisations.
“The Court made sweeping accusations against entire political parties that have produced three democratically elected presidents, rather than focusing on any individuals found culpable,” the statement said. “This characterization is completely false and unacceptable.”
Nigeria stressed that its political system operates under a robust legal and constitutional framework, and its parties function lawfully within a vibrant democracy. The government called on Canada to immediately retract the ruling and engage Nigerian authorities through diplomatic channels to resolve the matter.
“Nigeria remains committed to fighting terrorism and urges the international community to disregard this misguided ruling. We also caution against the misuse of asylum claims to malign Nigeria,” the statement added.
The ruling, delivered on June 17, 2025, by Justice Phuong T.V. Ngo, dismissed Mr. Egharevba’s asylum application, citing his party membership as grounds for inadmissibility under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The court endorsed findings that both the APC and PDP have been involved in political violence, voter intimidation, ballot manipulation, and even murder to maintain power, according to court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette.
The PDP and APC remain Nigeria’s two dominant political parties.
