A decision that designated Nigeria’s two main political parties—the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)—as terrorist organisations was upheld by the Federal Court of Canada. Douglas Egharevba, a former member, was denied asylum because of his ten years of affiliation with both parties.
Egharevba’s appeal for judicial review was denied by Justice Phuong Ngo in a June 17, 2025, ruling after the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) determined that he was inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness had claimed that the APC and PDP were responsible for political violence, democratic subversion, and electoral carnage in Nigeria, according to the Peoples Gazette.
Court records showed that Egharevba was a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 before joining the APC, where he remained until 2017. He moved to Canada in September 2017 and disclosed his political history.
Justice Ngo affirmed that mere membership in an organisation linked to terrorism or democratic subversion is enough to trigger inadmissibility under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA, even without proof of personal involvement.
Egharevba’s claim that political violence was widespread across all Nigerian parties was dismissed.
The court ruled that even flawed Nigerian elections constitute a democratic process under Canadian law and that undermining them qualifies as subversion.
The decision effectively ends Egharevba’s asylum claim, with deportation proceedings expected to follow.
