Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has warned that a recent ruling by a Canadian Federal Court declaring Nigeria’s two dominant parties—the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—as terrorist organisations could have dire consequences for Nigerians abroad.
In a statement titled “Beyond Judicial Recognition of APC and PDP as Terrorist Societies,” Falana cautioned that members of both parties may face visa denials, asylum rejections, deportation, and international stigma if urgent steps are not taken to challenge the judgment.
He criticised the dismissive responses of the APC and PDP, stressing that instead of trading insults, party leaders should adopt legal strategies to clear their names. “If registered abroad, members of both parties risk deportation, visa denials, and international stigma,” Falana warned.
The ruling, delivered last Thursday by Justice Phuong Ngo, arose from the asylum case of Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba. The court concluded that both APC and PDP had engaged in acts amounting to terrorism and the subversion of democratic institutions.
While the APC condemned the decision as “ignorant” and “racist,” and the PDP dismissed it as “mischievous,” Falana insisted that the judgment reflects the entrenched culture of electoral violence and impunity in Nigeria.
He accused the two parties of repeatedly using thugs, often backed by security operatives, to manipulate elections, leaving victims of violence without justice. “The riggers boldly tell opponents to go to court, and judges then validate stolen mandates,” he said.
Falana also cited inflammatory remarks by past and present leaders—including Olusegun Obasanjo’s 2003 “do-or-die” election comment, Muhammadu Buhari’s “dog and baboon” statement before the 2015 polls, and President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 charge to supporters to “fight for power, grab it, snatch it, and run with it”—as evidence supporting the Canadian court’s findings.
According to him, the judgment could have wider international repercussions, spreading to the US, UK, and other Western nations, unless Nigerian authorities intervene swiftly.
He urged the Federal Government to immediately engage immigration lawyers to appeal the ruling and protect the country’s global reputation. “The collateral damage of this judgment will not just affect APC and PDP members. It also taints ordinary Nigerians, as the world now perceives our country as being run by two terrorist organisations,” Falana concluded.
Leave a comment