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APC Blasts Canadian Judge Over ‘Terrorist’ Label: Calls Ruling Baseless and Offensive

Published by Tope Fakinlede on August 15th, 2025.

APC Blasts Canadian Judge Over ‘Terrorist’ Label: Calls Ruling Baseless and Offensive

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Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has strongly criticized a Canadian court ruling that labeled it and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organizations, describing the judgment as ignorant and unfounded.

The backlash follows a decision by Justice Phuong Ngo of the Federal Court of Canada, who upheld an earlier ruling that denied asylum to Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian man with long-standing affiliations to both parties. The judge supported the position that Egharevba was inadmissible to Canada due to his involvement with political groups linked to violence and instability in Nigeria.

According to reports from Peoples Gazette, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness had argued that both the APC and PDP were complicit in political violence, democratic subversion, and election-related bloodshed—claims that factored into Egharevba’s asylum rejection.

But the APC isn’t taking the classification lightly. Senator Ajibola Basiru, the party’s National Secretary, dismissed the ruling outright, calling the judge “an ignoramus” and accusing him of acting beyond his jurisdiction.

“This so-called judgment lacks merit and is steeped in ignorance,” Basiru said. “We were never party to the case, and no foreign court has the authority to categorize a constitutionally recognized Nigerian political party as a terrorist organization.”

He further stated that the ruling reflects a flawed understanding of Nigeria’s political system and was based solely on one individual’s self-serving asylum claim.

“It’s shameful that some Nigerians would tarnish the image of their country just to obtain asylum abroad,” Basiru said. “It is even more unfortunate that a foreign judge would make such a sweeping and baseless declaration under the guise of asylum proceedings.”

He emphasized that the APC is a legitimate, democratic institution that operates within the framework of Nigeria’s constitution and does not require validation from foreign legal systems.

“The judgment was clearly made within the narrow context of Canadian immigration law and does not carry any legal weight in Nigeria. Our legitimacy is rooted in the Nigerian people and the democratic process—not in foreign courtrooms.”

The APC concluded that while the party respects international legal systems, it will not accept the politicization of asylum cases at the expense of Nigeria’s reputation.