The Federal Government, FG, has expressed disapproval and called for an immediate retraction of a Canadian Federal Court ruling that incorrectly labeled certain Nigerian political parties as “terrorist organisations.”
In a statement released by Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government warned that the court’s decision could be misinterpreted as an endorsement of politically motivated narratives against Nigeria.
The ruling was made in a case involving a Nigerian asylum seeker, Douglas Egharevba, who arrived in Canada in September 2017.
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Egharevba, a former member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), had his refugee status application denied, with the court citing his political affiliations as making him inadmissible under Canadian law due to allegations of political violence and subversion of democracy.
FG stated that this “baseless classification” is not only reckless but also represents an unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs and democratic processes.
The government argued that the court made a broad generalization against the entire membership of parties that have produced democratically elected presidents, and that this could falsely label every member as a potential terrorist.
FG emphasised that Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a solid legal framework for its political activities and that its political parties operate within the law.
It called the association of these legitimate entities with terrorism a grave misrepresentation that could create unnecessary tension.
FG urged the Canadian authorities to rectify the error and has stated that diplomatic channels remain open for constructive dialogue.
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It further called on the international community to disregard the ruling and reaffirm its confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance.
Furthermore, the government advised Nigerians to refrain from making unfounded claims against their country while seeking asylum abroad.
