By Our Reporter
A landmark judgment by the Canadian Federal Court branding Nigeria’s two dominant political parties, the APC and PDP, as terrorist organisations has triggered sharp divisions among Nigerians at home and abroad. While many hail it as a bold strike against corrupt politicians who plunder the nation and stash their loot overseas, others slam it as a “misinformed” ruling that sets a dangerous precedent capable of undermining democracy worldwide.
Supporters, like U.S.-based economist Raphael Moses, say Canada has “taken the bull by the horns” where other Western nations — often silent beneficiaries of Africa’s corruption — have failed. He argues the move could help choke off political plunder that has kept millions in poverty. Younger Nigerians, frustrated by decades of deceit under the same political elite, appear to welcome the decision as overdue justice.
But critics warn of far-reaching consequences. Former NNPC spokesman Olufemi Soneye described the ruling as a political earthquake, cautioning that if democracies fail to resist such “overreach,” they may one day find their own politics put on trial abroad.
The June 17, 2025 judgment by Justice Phuong Ngo upheld a Canadian Immigration Appeal Division decision to deny asylum to Douglas Egharevba, a former member of both parties, over his decade-long affiliation. Authorities cited intelligence linking the APC and PDP to electoral violence, ballot stuffing and politically motivated killings during the 2003 and 2004 polls. The court stressed that under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, mere membership in an organisation implicated in terrorism or democratic subversion is enough to trigger inadmissibility — even without proof of personal involvement.