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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned a Canadian court’s decision classifying Nigeria’s two major political parties, the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), as terrorist organisations.
Describing the claim as “misinformed, biased, and lacking evidence,” the party urged that it be dismissed outright.
Naija News reports that a Federal Court of Canada recently upheld a ruling that labelled the APC and PDP as terrorist organisations while denying asylum to a former member, Douglas Egharevba, over his decade-long affiliation with both parties.
In a judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, Justice Phuong Ngo dismissed Egharevba’s application for judicial review after the Immigration Appeal Division found him inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
According to the Peoples Gazette, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness argued that both parties were implicated in political violence, subversion of democracy, and electoral bloodshed in Nigeria.
Court records revealed that Egharevba was a member of the PDP 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.
The IAD’s decision was reportedly based on the PDP’s conduct during the 2003 state elections and 2004 local government polls, when the party was accused of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, and killing opposition supporters.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, speaking to Vanguard in Abuja, said, “Nigeria and Canada are both democracies. And I’m sure those who make such statements enjoy their right to freedom of speech. But again, when having freedom of speech, one should be circumspect about unguarded and unnecessary statements.
“There’s nothing to show, there’s nothing on text to show that even the malfunctioning APC is a terrorist organisation or the PDP, which is a credible institution.
“If they wanted to say that some individuals in the government, particularly the APC government, have traces to terrorism, like we all are aware where the last Boko Haram leader was caught in one of the prominent members of this government’s apartment house, they will have a case. And I would say, yes, those individuals have ties to terrorists and terrorist organisations. But to say an entire political party is a terrorist organisation is wrong,” he said, and urged Canadian authorities to focus on specific allegations against individuals rather than making sweeping accusations.”
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