The Federal Government has urged Canadian authorities to immediately withdraw what it described as the “erroneous” designation of some Nigerian political parties as terrorist organisations.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson in Abuja warned that the action could be misinterpreted as support for politically motivated narratives against Nigeria.
The designation arose during a case involving Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and sought inland refugee status under the country’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The Federal Government expressed grave concern over a recent ruling by a Canadian Federal Court that classified certain Nigerian political parties as terrorist groups.
It described the declaration as reckless, baseless, and an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and democratic processes. The government argued that the court levelled sweeping accusations against the entire membership of a political party that has produced three democratically elected presidents, instead of focusing on individuals who might have committed offences.
According to the statement, such a decision wrongly portrays all members of the named parties as potential terrorists, which is completely false and unacceptable.
Nigeria, it stressed, is a sovereign nation with a strong legal and constitutional framework regulating political activity. Political parties operate within the law and form the foundation of the country’s vibrant democracy. Associating legitimate political entities with terrorism without credible evidence, it said, gravely misrepresents Nigeria’s democratic institutions and risks fuelling unnecessary tension.
The Federal Government called on Canada to retract the ruling and avoid actions that could appear to endorse politically motivated claims. It maintained that diplomatic channels remain open for constructive dialogue and urged Canada to engage directly with relevant Nigerian institutions to correct the error.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the global fight against terrorism, the government noted that the country has made significant progress in tackling extremist groups. It called on the international community to disregard the Canadian court’s ruling and uphold confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance and rule of law.
Finally, the government advised Nigerian citizens against making unfounded allegations about the country in pursuit of asylum or favours abroad.