Nigeria’s two leading political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), have strongly rejected a recent Canadian Federal Court ruling that classifies both parties as terrorist organisations.
The controversial judgment, delivered on June 17, 2025, by Justice Phuong Ngo, upheld an earlier decision by Canada’s Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) to deny asylum to Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba due to his past membership in both parties. Egharevba was a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 and later joined the APC until 2017, when he relocated to Canada.
According to court documents, Canadian authorities argued that both parties were linked to political violence, election-related bloodshed, and democratic subversion. Specific reference was made to alleged voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, and killings during the 2003 and 2004 elections under the PDP’s leadership.
The IAD concluded that senior party members benefitted from the violence and failed to stop it—meeting Canada’s legal definition of democratic subversion under paragraph 34(1)(b.1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Justice Ngo ruled that under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA, even “mere membership” in an organisation associated with terrorism or democratic subversion is grounds for inadmissibility, regardless of an individual’s personal involvement.
Both the PDP and APC have condemned the ruling, calling it baseless and damaging to Nigeria’s political image.