APC, PDP Classified As Terrorist Organisations in Canadian Court Ruling.

A Canadian Federal Court has upheld a ruling classifying Nigeria’s two main political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “terrorist organisations” under Canadian immigration law, in a decision related to an asylum application.

The judgement, delivered by Justice Phuong Ngo on June 17, 2025, dismissed the appeal of Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian politician who had sought asylum in Canada. Egharevba, who belonged to the PDP from 1999 to 2007 and the APC from 2007 to 2017, was found inadmissible by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

According to the court, both parties had committed acts that amounted to terrorism under Canadian law, including political violence, intimidation of voters, ballot rigging, murder, and subversion of democratic processes. The court noted that these acts were meant to intimidate the public or sections thereof for political purposes.

The ruling stated that Egharevba’s membership in the APC and PDP was sufficient to render him inadmissible to enter or remain in Canada, regardless of whether he personally engaged in the violent acts or not.

“This court finds that the Immigration Appeal Division was reasonable in its determination that APC and PDP have engaged in terrorism as contemplated under section 34(1)(c) of the IRPA,” Justice Ngo ruled.

The judgment has caused instant outrage in Nigeria. The PDP has strongly condemned the Canadian court’s decision. In a statement, the party described the labeling of APC and PDP as “terrorist organisations” as “misinformed, biased, and lacking evidence”, calling on Canadian authorities to dismiss the ruling outright.

The APC has similarly rejected the ruling. Senator Ajibola Bashiru, APC National Secretary, dismissed the judgment, arguing that the party is a credible democratic institution that does not seek validation from a foreign court, especially under a law with no extraterritorial application. He went as far as calling the presiding judge “an ignoramus” and stated that the Canadian court has no jurisdiction to declare a Nigerian political party a terrorist organization

Lawyers have warned that the ruling, while specific to an immigration case, has the potential for wider implications for Nigerians abroad, particularly those who have had past associations with the APC or PDP. It may also affect visa and asylum applications where political history is a factor.

The Canadian government has not made a general designation of the APC and PDP as terrorist organizations, meaning the ruling applies only within the context of this specific case. The precedent, nevertheless, could have implications for future immigration cases concerning members of Nigeria’s two leading parties.