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Former Head of Corporate Communication Officer NNPC Ltd, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, has condemned the recent Canadian court decision that labeling the two main Nigerian-Kongres political parties of all Progressive (APC) and the Democratic Party (PDP)-as a terrorist organization, stated that the ruling rulers.
Soneye described the assessment as a “political earthquake” whose impact could “echo far beyond the Canadian border,” reminded that “if democratic countries do not encourage this excessive outreach, one day they might find their own politics at the trial in a foreign court.”
The controversy came from the decision of June 17, 2025 by Judge Phuong NGO from the Canadian Federal Court, which strengthened the previous decision by the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) under the Protection of Immigration and Canadian Refugees (IRPA). IAD has denied asylum to Douglas Egharevba – a Nigerian who revealed that he had been a member of PDP from 1999 to 2007 before joining APC until 2017 – quoting the alleged involvement of both parties in political violence, democratic subversion, and election blood.
According to court records, the conclusion of the IAD was partially based on the incident during the 2003 state election and the 2004 local government poll, where PDP was allegedly involved in voting, voter intimidation, and killing opposition supporters. Egharevba, who moved to Canada in September 2017, was considered unacceptable with the reason of security concerns related to his political affiliation.
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Reacting to the decision, Soneye warned that his implications could surpass Canada, which affected the Nigerians in the Diaspora who had been affiliated with any political party.
“For Nigerians abroad, especially those who have held party membership cards, it indicates an increase in supervision, denies visas, and rejects asylum claims not only in Canada but potential in other Western democracy that may follow,” he said.
He further emphasized that branding that established political parties as terrorist organizations would have severe consequences for political freedom. “What is more worrying is what this means to democracy. Giving labels of established political parties as terrorist organizations damage their legitimacy at home and abroad. This obscures the vital lines between differences of opinion and danger, between governance and extremism.
He asked the countries and democratic institutions to oppose the vast and politically destructive classification, warning that the erosion of political legitimacy everywhere is a threat to democratic values everywhere.
