APC has slammed Canadian court over terrorist label and called judge ‘ignorant’.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has erupted in outrage over a Canadian court ruling that branded both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organisations.
The Federal Court of Canada, presided over by Justice Phuong Ngo, upheld a decision denying asylum to Douglas Egharevba, a former member of both parties, citing alleged links to political violence and electoral bloodshed in Nigeria.
In a judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, Justice Ngo dismissed Egharevba’s appeal, affirming the Immigration Appeal Division’s position that he was inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Furious over the ruling, APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru lashed out, describing the judge as an “ignoramus” with no jurisdiction to determine the status of a legally recognised Nigerian political party.
“This so-called judgment was delivered from a jaundiced and biased perspective. The APC is a credible democratic organisation and does not seek legitimacy from a foreign bench or laws with no extraterritorial effect,” Basiru declared.
He accused “desperate, unpatriotic Nigerians” of enabling “racist foreign judges” to tarnish the country’s image in pursuit of self-serving asylum claims.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Canadian ruling has sparked strong political and diplomatic reactions, with the APC insisting it will not accept any foreign classification that undermines Nigeria’s democratic institutions.