By: Manoah Kikekon
A Canadian Federal Court has upheld a groundbreaking decision declaring Nigeria’s two dominant political parties the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organizations.
The court also denied asylum to a former member, Douglas Egharevba, citing his long-standing affiliation with both parties.
In a June 17, 2025 ruling obtained by Peoples Gazette, Justice Phuong Ngo dismissed Egharevba’s appeal, affirming that his membership in the PDP (1999-2007) and APC (2007-2017) made him inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
The Minister of Public Safety argued that both parties were deeply involved in political violence, electoral fraud, and subversion of democracy, creating a reign of terror in Nigeria. Despite Egharevba’s claim that he was never personally involved in violence, the court ruled that membership alone was enough to bar him from asylum.
The court highlighted the PDP’s violent history, particularly during the 2003 and 2004 elections, when the party led by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar engaged in, Ballot stuffing & box snatching, Voter intimidation and Killing opposition supporters.
Justice Ngo ruled that the PDP leadership benefited from this violence and took no action to stop it, meeting Canada’s legal definition of "subversion of democracy."
The court reinforced Canada’s strict stance on membership in terror-linked groups, stating, "Admission of membership is enough regardless of personal involvement."
Egharevba’s defense that all Nigerian parties engage in violence was dismissed, with the judge ruling that even flawed elections still constitute a democratic process under Canadian law.