Diplomatic firestorm: Nigeria rejects ‘baseless’ Canadian Court ruling on political parties

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Federal Government of Nigeria has strongly rejected reports that a Canadian Federal Court classified certain Nigerian political parties as “terrorist organizations.”

The government described the ruling as “baseless, reckless, and an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and democratic processes.”

The clarification, issued in a press release by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday, 15 August 2025, followed media reports stemming from the case of Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and applied for inland refugee status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada.

The Ministry emphasised that the ruling unfairly targeted entire political parties instead of focusing on individuals.

In its statement, it said: “The Court made a sweeping accusation against the entire membership of a political party that has produced three democratically elected presidents, instead of focusing on individuals found wanting. The larger ramification of the decision is that every member of the mentioned political parties is a potential terrorist, and that is completely false and unacceptable.”

Nigeria reaffirmed its sovereignty and the legality of its political system, stating: “Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a robust legal and constitutional framework governing political activities. Our political parties operate within the ambit of the law and are integral to the country’s vibrant democracy.

“To associate legitimate political entities with terrorism without credible evidence is a grave misrepresentation that undermines Nigeria’s democratic institutions and could incite unnecessary tension.”

The Federal Government has called on Canadian authorities to “immediately retract this erroneous designation and refrain from actions that could be misconstrued as endorsing politically motivated narratives against Nigeria.”

The Ministry added that diplomatic channels remain open for constructive dialogue and urged Canada to engage with the relevant Nigerian institutions to rectify this error.

Reiterating Nigeria’s commitment to global security, the statement affirmed:

“Nigeria remains committed to the global fight against terrorism and has made significant strides in countering extremist groups within its borders. We call on the international community to disregard this misguided ruling and reaffirm its confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance and rule of law.”

The Ministry also advised Nigerian nationals to “refrain from making unfounded allegations against Nigeria under the pretext of seeking asylum or favours from foreign entities.”