- FG: Baseless Terror Claims Threaten Nigeria’s Democracy, Demands Retraction
- We Were Not Labelled A Terrorist Organisation- APC
A diplomatic row is brewing between Nigeria and Canada if recent developments are anything to go by.
Trouble started when reports emerged that a Canadian Federal Court in a ruling allegedly classified certain Nigerian political parties as “terrorist organisations”.
The ruling, delivered in connection with an immigration case involving a Nigerian, Douglas Egharevba, who arrived in Canada in 2017 seeking refugee status, allegedly labelled some Nigerian political organisations as having terrorist links.
The ruling affirmed that both leading political parties in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) have a history of systemic political violence, from voter intimidation and ballot snatching to outright killings.
Reacting to the ruling, the Nigerian government described the ruling as reckless, unfounded, and an unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs.
According to a statement signed by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, on Friday, August 15, 2025, noted that the baseless classification is not only reckless but also constitutes an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and democratic processes.”
The government insisted that the judgment failed to distinguish between individuals who may have committed offences and the broader membership of legitimate political entities.
“The Court made a sweeping accusation against the entire membership of a political party that has produced three democratically elected presidents, instead of focusing on individuals found wanting.
“The larger ramification of the decision is that every member of the mentioned political parties is a potential terrorist, and that is completely false and unacceptable,” the statement noted.
FG emphasised that its political system is governed by a robust legal and constitutional framework and that all recognized political parties operate within the law.
Officials warned that the ruling could foster misinformation and incite unnecessary tensions.
The ministry called on Canadian authorities to immediately reverse the decision and avoid endorsing politically motivated narratives that misrepresent Nigeria’s political landscape.
“Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a robust legal and constitutional framework governing political activities. Our political parties operate within the ambit of the law and are integral to the country’s vibrant democracy.
“To associate legitimate political entities with terrorism without credible evidence is a grave misrepresentation that undermines Nigeria’s democratic institutions and could incite unnecessary tension.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria, therefore, calls on the Canadian authorities to immediately retract this erroneous designation and refrain from actions that could be misconstrued as endorsing politically motivated narratives against Nigeria.
“Diplomatic channels remain open for constructive dialogue, and we urge the Government of Canada to engage with the relevant Nigerian institutions to rectify this error,” said Ebienfa.
Reaffirming its stance against terrorism, FG highlighted its ongoing efforts to combat extremism and its commitment to global security cooperation.
It also urged the international community to disregard what it described as a misguided ruling.
Additionally, the government cautioned Nigerian citizens against misrepresenting the country to foreign governments in pursuit of asylum or immigration advantages.
The Ministry reiterated its confidence in the country’s democratic system and called on global partners to support, rather than undermine, Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law.
“Nigeria remains committed to the global fight against terrorism and has made significant strides in countering extremist groups within its borders; therefore, called on the international community to disregard this misguided ruling and reaffirm its confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance and rule of law.
“The government further urges Nigerian nationals to refrain from making unfounded allegations against Nigeria under the pretext of seeking asylum or favours from foreign entities,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, in a dramatic twist, the APC has denied that the Canadian court declared it a terrorist organisation, pouring cold water on the Federal government’s assertion.
In a statement issued on Friday, APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, clarified that the court made no pronouncement on terrorism in its ruling.
The statement reads, “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to media reports about a decision of a Canadian Court allegedly declared APC as a terrorist organisation.
“We wish to state categorically that the Canadian court did not declare APC as a terrorist organisation, contrary to highly erroneous media reports in circulation.
“As reported, the declaration was allegedly made in the case of Douglas Egharevba and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, in which the Applicant (Douglas Egharevba) sought judicial review of a decision by the Canadian Immigration Appeal Division [IAD] which determined that the Applicant was inadmissible in Canada under its Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
“In a decision in the matter dated June 17, 2025, Judge Phuong T.V. Ngo dismissed the application for judicial review on the ground that the Applicant was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that the PDP was an organization engaged in acts of subversion pursuant to paragraph 34(1)(b.1) of the IRPA making him inadmissible in Canada.
“In his analysis, the Judge stated, “As such, applying the reasonableness standard of review, I cannot find the IAD’s conclusion that the Elections in question constituted a democratic process or institution and that the PDP, its members and supporters engaged in subversive acts committed against the electoral process for the improper purpose of maintaining political power to be unreasonable.”
“To be clear, the only reference to APC in the entire 16-paged decision was in the introductory “Background”, Paragraph 4, where the court referenced a “Background Declaration Form in which the Applicant stated that “he was a member of the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] of Nigeria from December 1999 until December 2007, and a member of All Progressives Congress [APC] party of Nigeria from December 2007 until May 2017.”
“For the record, APC was not in existence as of 2007. The Party was registered in 2013. The Applicant’s claim of membership of APC as of 2007 is evidently false as he could not have been a member of APC that didn’t exist at the time.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we make bold to state that the court never made any determination on the question of terrorism in its decision. In the Judge’s own words:
“Having found that the IAD’s analysis on subversion was reasonable, this is sufficient to dismiss the application for review. *I will therefore refrain from anaylyzing the IAD’s findings on terrorism.”*
“Clearly, reports that APC was declared as a terrorist organization by the Canadian court in this matter is patently erroneous, if not mischievous.
“The court did not make such a declaration, and could not have done so as that would be an unjustifiable overreach, and a major breach of fair hearing, among other due process rights, given that APC was not a party to the proceedings. Such a decision would also have been of absolute irrelevance as being made without jurisdiction, and of no extraterritorial applicability or significance.
“We urge our Party faithful, supporters and all Nigerians to disregard the reports as false and misleading”.
