Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has strongly criticised a Canadian court ruling that described it and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as terrorist organisations under international law.
The PDP said the decision was wrong and not backed by facts.
“There’s nothing to show that even the malfunctioning APC is a terrorist organisation or the PDP, which is a credible institution,” PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, told Vanguard.
He added, “To say an entire political party is a terrorist organisation is wrong.”
On June 17, 2025, Justice Phuong Ngo of the Canadian Federal Court upheld a previous ruling denying asylum to Douglas Egharevba, a former member of both parties. The Immigration Appeal Division had found Mr Egharevba inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act because of his past membership of the PDP (1999–2007) and APC (2007–2017).
Canadian authorities argued that both parties were involved in political violence, election rigging and subversion of democracy. They referred especially to the PDP’s conduct during the 2003 and 2004 elections, when the party was accused of ballot stuffing, intimidation, and killings.
But the PDP insists such a blanket label is unfair.
“If they wanted to say that some individuals… have traces to terrorism, they will have a case. They should focus on specific allegations against individuals rather than making sweeping accusations,” Mr Osadolor said.
Mr Olufemi Soneye, former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, also warned that the ruling could set a dangerous precedent.
“It was a political earthquake… If democratic nations don’t push back on this kind of overreach, they may one day find their own politics on trial in a foreign court,” he said.
Mr Soneye added that Nigerians abroad who had ever held membership cards might now face visa denials and rejected asylum claims in Canada and other Western countries.
“Labeling established political parties as terrorist organisations undermines their legitimacy at home and abroad,” he said.
He further warned the decision could weaken democracy by blurring, “the vital line between dissent and danger, between governance and extremism.”
The PDP is calling on the Canadian government and its courts to revisit the ruling and treat Nigerian political parties with fairness based on clear evidence.