The federal government has rejected the designation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “terrorist organisations” by a Canadian federal court.
In a statement on Friday, the federal ministry of foreign affairs said the ruling was “erroneous”.
The statement signed by Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the ministry, said the court made a sweeping accusation against the entire membership of a political party that has produced democratically elected presidents, instead of focusing on individuals found wanting.
The characterisation was contained in a judgement on an application for judicial review involving Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and applied for inland refugee status.
Egharevba’s application was denied in 2019 owing to his affiliation with the PDP.
An immigration officer said he was a member of an organisation “that has engaged in acts of subversion against a democratic government, institution, or process and engaged in terrorism.”
The applicant had challenged his inadmissibility before the immigration department, but a judge upheld the ruling in June.
‘FALSE AND UNACCEPTABLE’
However, the ministry of foreign affairs said the accusation was “baseless and reckless”.
The ministry said the ruling also “constitutes an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and democratic processes.
“The larger ramification of the decision is that every member of the mentioned political parties is a potential terrorist, and that is completely false and unacceptable,” the statement added.
“Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a robust legal and constitutional framework governing political activities.
“Our political parties operate within the ambit of the law and are integral to the country’s vibrant democracy.
“To associate legitimate political entities with terrorism without credible evidence is a grave misrepresentation that undermines Nigeria’s democratic institutions and could incite unnecessary tension.”
The federal government called on the Canadian authorities to immediately retract the designation and refrain from actions that could be misconstrued as endorsing politically motivated narratives against Nigeria.
Nigeria also urged its nationals to refrain from making unfounded allegations against the state under the pretext of seeking asylum or favours from foreign entities.
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