Nigerian Govt rejects Canadian Court’s terror designation of political parties
The Federal Government of Nigeria has condemned a Canadian Federal Court ruling that labeled some Nigerian political parties as terrorist organizations, calling the decision “reckless” and “an unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs and democratic processes.
In a statement on Friday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa said the ruling arose from a case involving Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba, who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and applied for inland refugee status under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria expresses deep concerns over the recent ruling by a Canadian Federal Court that erroneously designates certain political parties in Nigeria as ‘terrorist organizations,’” the statement read.
The government criticized the court for targeting entire political parties rather than specific individuals, noting that the parties in question have produced three democratically elected presidents.
“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,” the statement added.
Nigeria emphasized its status as a sovereign nation with a “robust legal and constitutional framework governing political activities” and stressed that its political parties operate within the law.
Citizens were also urged to avoid making unfounded allegations against the country under the guise of seeking asylum or foreign assistance.
