By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Femi Falana, APC and PDP |
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has challenged Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to publicly demonstrate that they are not terrorist organisations.
This comes after a Canadian Federal Court labeled both parties as entities engaging in terrorism under Canadian law in a recent asylum case ruling.
In a landmark judgment, Justice Phuong Ngo dismissed the asylum appeal of Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba, declaring that the APC and PDP use violence, coercion, and subversion of democratic institutions to gain political power actions that qualify as terrorism under Canadian law.
Falana, in a strongly-worded statement, urged both parties to address the serious allegations instead of dismissing the ruling. He cited Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, which defines terrorism as violence, intimidation, or coercion for political gain a pattern he claims is evident in Nigeria’s elections.
The senior lawyer accused the APC and PDP of rigging elections, announcing fake results, and deploying armed thugs, police, and military personnel to suppress voters. He noted that electoral violence, killings, and intimidation have gone unchecked, with perpetrators rarely prosecuted.
Instead of addressing the court’s findings, APC called the judge "ignorant," while PDP dismissed the ruling as "mischievous." Falana slammed their responses, demanding legal action to clear their names rather than attacking the judiciary.
Falana warned that if the Canadian court’s ruling is adopted by the U.S., UK, France, and other nations, members of both parties could face visa cancellations and deportations. He urged the Nigerian government to hire immigration lawyers to mitigate the damage, as the ruling could tarnish Nigeria’s international reputation.
The activist stressed that mere diplomatic protests won’t reverse the judgment. He called on Nigerian judges and security agencies to hold political parties accountable, enforce the Electoral Act, and prosecute election offenders. According to Falana, only credible elections can restore Nigeria’s global image.