On Thursday, word went round that a Canadian Court had proscribed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organisations.
Several reports, including posts shared on social media, stated that the political parties were proscribed for their involvement in political violence, terror and undermining democracy in Nigeria.
The proscription is connected to Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian politician with the APC, who is seeking asylum in Canada.
On June 17, Justice Phuong Ngo stated that Egharevba’s membership with the PDP would not allow him to be admitted to Canada.
Egharevba’s case in Canada was between him and the country’s Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and was first determined on March 25, 2024.
This story has, however, generated a lot of reactions and criticisms on social media. Many news organisations here, here and here have also reported the topic.
Some of the reactions the reported proscription elicited can also be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.
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The reactions to this news have also had the mentioned political parties issuing statements in attempts to defend themselves here and here.
WHAT DID THE CANADIAN COURT SAY?
According to the document containing the proceedings from the Canadian Court, in Ottawa, Ontario, and sighted by FIJ, Egharevba was seeking an appeal to the country’s federal court decision barring him from visiting Canada.
The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) had earlier declared him inadmissible into the country for being a member of both the PDP and the APC after he arrived in the country in September 2017 and claimed refugee status.
But the Canadian authorities said Egharevba’s status could not be verified and accused the PDP of political violence, intimidation and electoral fraud in Nigeria’s 2003 elections. Initially, the Immigration Division (ID) cleared him, citing a lack of evidence.
Egharevba appealed and the IAD reversed that decision in 2014, ruling that PDP’s systemic violence made him inadmissible, even without proof that he personally engaged in such acts.
It further states that it did not review his APC membership because the PDP link alone was enough to make him inadmissible into the country, as the political party’s leadership could not be separated from the widespread violence in Nigeria.
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Paragraph 8 of the document stated this clearly:
“In the Decision, the IAD noted that there was no evidence or allegations that the Applicant has personally engaged in terrorism or subversion. However, the IAD found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the PDP engaged in terrorism and subversion of democratic institutions,” the document reads.
“The IAD concluded that the PDP engaged in political violence and subversion including ballot stuffing, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, violence, and murder of opposition supporters and candidates in the 2003 state elections and 2004 local elections [Elections].
“The conduct of individuals who are members of the PDP, including high ranking officials, and those who committed political violence and intimidation on their behalf is too widespread and persistent over too great a period of time to dissociate the leadership of the party from their actions. The Applicant’s membership to the PDP was sufficient to link him to these acts for the purpose of inadmissibility under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA.
“The IAD also found that the leadership had a high degree of control over its members, as evidenced by the Applicant’s testimony before the ID that he left the PDP because the leadership imposed their own candidate overriding the decision of the Applicant’s local ward.
“The IAD declined to make a finding on whether the Applicant is also inadmissible for his membership in the APC as the evidence on the PDP was sufficient and determinative.”
However, the Canadian government said it would still not admit Egharevba into its territory.
THE FACT?
The Canadian Court did not proscribe PDP and APC as terrorist organisations as reported by some media outlets. Rather, it said that due to Egharevba’s association with the PDP for their different acts of violence, it would not admit him into Canada.
The post EXPLAINER: What Canadian Court Document Says About Proscribing APC, PDP as Terrorist Organisations appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.