APC Refutes Claims of Terrorist Tag by Canadian Court

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has debunked media reports suggesting that a Canadian court declared the party a terrorist organisation.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the ruling party described the reports as “highly erroneous and misleading,” insisting that no such declaration was made.

The clarification follows circulating claims about a June 17, 2025, ruling in the case between Douglas Egharevba and the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. The matter involved a judicial review of a decision by Canada’s Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), which had found the applicant inadmissible under the country’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

According to Morka, the case centred on Egharevba’s membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the IAD’s finding that the PDP had engaged in acts of subversion against Nigeria’s electoral process. The judge, Phuong T.V. Ngo, upheld the IAD’s decision, stating that PDP members and supporters were involved in subversive acts for the improper purpose of retaining political power.

The APC noted that the only mention of its name in the 16-page judgment appeared in the background section, where the applicant claimed he was a member of the PDP between 1999 and 2007 and of the APC from 2007 to 2017 — a claim the party says is factually impossible, as APC was only formed in 2013.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the court never made any determination on terrorism. In the Judge’s own words: ‘Having found that the IAD’s analysis on subversion was reasonable, this is sufficient to dismiss the application for review. I will therefore refrain from analysing the IAD’s findings on terrorism,’” Morka quoted.

The party emphasised that APC was not a party to the case and that any claim linking the court’s decision to a terrorist designation was baseless and mischievous.

“We urge our members, supporters and Nigerians at large to disregard such false reports,” Morka added.