Canada Declares Nigeria’s PDP & APC Terrorist Organisations — Here’s Why

A Canada Declares Nigeria’s PDP & APC Terrorist Organisations — Here’s Why court in Ottawa, Canada, has ruled that Nigeria’s two major political parties — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) — are terrorist organisations involved in election-related violence, intimidation, and ballot box snatching.

The decision was part of a judgment delivered on June 17, 2025, during a judicial review case involving Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba. The ruling upheld an earlier Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) decision, which linked both parties to acts of political subversion and terrorism under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

Egharevba, who had sought asylum in Canada, argued that although he had been a member of the PDP from 1999 to 2007 and the APC from 2007 to 2017, he never participated in political violence. However, the court found that he had likely downplayed his awareness of the violent practices of both parties.

Court documents revealed that the PDP, which governed Nigeria from 1999, was found to have engaged in ballot-stuffing, ballot box snatching, intimidation, and even the killing of opposition supporters during elections. The APC, according to the judgment, also engaged in similar acts of subversion against democratic institutions.

Justice Ngo, who presided over the case, dismissed Egharevba’s application for judicial review, ruling that the evidence reasonably established his membership in organisations with a history of political violence and terrorism.

The judgment further stressed that the Canadian government views political violence, electoral fraud, and intimidation as threats to democratic processes, making individuals associated with such activities inadmissible to the country.