A federal court in the Ottawa, Ontario district of Canada, has labelled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) as “terrorist organisations” who engage in “ballot box snatching, intimidation, and violence”.
The characterisation was contained in a judgment on an
application for judicial review.
The previous ruling on a refugee status case was handed by
the Immigration Appeal Division [IAD] on March 25, 2024.
BACKGROUND
Douglas Egharevba, the applicant who is Nigerian, had
appealed the decision not to grant him asylum on the grounds that he was a
member of the PDP and APC at different times.
He also argued that he never participated in the violence
and manipulation that mars elections in Nigeria, insisting he had never
personally engaged in terrorism or subversion.
However, Justice Ngo, the judge, disagreed in a judgment
delivered on June 17, 2025.
“The Applicant most likely downplayed his knowledge and the
seriousness of political violence committed by the parties in which he was
involved,” the judgment reads.
“The IAD reversed the ID’s decision and found that the
evidence was established on reasonable grounds to believe that, pursuant to
paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA, the Applicant was a member of an organization
that engages, has engaged, or will engage in acts of subversion against a
democratic government, institution or process as they are understood in Canada.
“The Applicant is a citizen of Nigeria. In September 2017,
the Applicant entered Canada and initiated an inland refugee claim.
“The Applicant submitted a Background Declaration Form
stating that he was a member of the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] of Nigeria
from December 1999 until December 2007, and a member of the All Progressives
Congress [APC] party of Nigeria from December 2007 until May 2017.
“As a result of this information, he was referred to a
Canadian Border Services Agency [CBSA] officer to determine whether he was
admissible to Canada.
“In September 2018, the Applicant confirmed his membership
in the PDP and APC in an interview with the CBSA officer.”
THE VERDICT
The court ruled that “the PDP were perpetrators of political
violence, intimidation, and subversion and were protected as the PDP was the
governing party from 1999 onwards”.
“The PDP conducted unlawful acts such as ballot-stuffing,
ballot box snatching, intimidation, violence, and murder of opposition
supporters and candidates in the Elections,” it added.
The court thereafter dismissed the application for a
judicial review of the previous judgment as filed by Egharevba.
“Given the above, the Decision is not unreasonable and the
application for judicial review must therefore be dismissed,” the judge ruled.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com