Canadian Court Brands APC, PDP As Terrorist Organisations

The Federal Court of Canada has affirmed a ruling declaring Nigeria’s two dominant political parties — the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — as terrorist organisations, while rejecting the asylum bid of a former member over his long-term affiliation with both.

In a judgment delivered on 17 June 2025, Justice Phuong Ngo dismissed an application for judicial review filed by Mr Douglas Egharevba, following a decision by the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) which found him inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

According to Peoples Gazette, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness argued that the APC and PDP had been implicated in political violence, subversion of democracy and electoral bloodshed in Nigeria.

Court documents revealed that Mr Egharevba was a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 before joining the APC, where he remained until 2017. He moved to Canada in September 2017, openly disclosing his political background. However, immigration authorities flagged his affiliations, relying on intelligence reports linking both parties to election-related violence and politically motivated killings.

The IAD’s ruling cited the PDP’s conduct during the 2003 state elections and 2004 local government polls, alleging ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and the killing of opposition supporters. The tribunal concluded that the party’s leadership benefited from such violence and failed to intervene, meeting Canada’s legal threshold for subversion under paragraph 34(1)(b.1) of the IRPA.

Justice Ngo upheld the view that mere membership in an organisation associated with terrorism or democratic subversion suffices for inadmissibility under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA, even without direct evidence of personal involvement.

Mr Egharevba’s argument that political violence was endemic across Nigerian parties was dismissed. The court held that even flawed Nigerian elections qualify as a democratic process under Canadian law, and undermining them constitutes subversion.

With this judgment, Mr Egharevba’s asylum claim has effectively collapsed, paving the way for his deportation from Canada.