By Ebi Kesiena
The Federal Government of Nigeria has rejected a recent ruling by a Canadian Federal Court that designated certain political parties in the country as “terrorist organizations.”
It was contained in a statement signed by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, on Friday in Abuja.
The government expressed deep concern over what it described as a reckless and baseless classification arising from a case involving a Nigerian, Mr. Douglas Egharevba, who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and applied for refugee status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada.
According to the statement, the court’s sweeping declaration amounted to an unacceptable interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and democratic processes. It warned that the ruling wrongly criminalizes entire political parties that have produced democratically elected presidents, rather than focusing on individuals accused of wrongdoing.
“The larger ramification of the decision is that every member of the mentioned political parties is now portrayed as a potential terrorist, which is completely false and unacceptable,” the government stated.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s sovereignty, the statement stressed that the country has a robust constitutional and legal framework regulating political activities. It noted that political parties are legitimate institutions central to Nigeria’s vibrant democracy, and associating them with terrorism without credible evidence amounts to a grave misrepresentation capable of inciting unnecessary tensions.
The Federal Government therefore called on Canadian authorities to immediately retract the designation and avoid actions that could be misconstrued as supporting politically motivated narratives against Nigeria. It emphasized that diplomatic channels remain open and urged the Canadian Government to engage directly with relevant Nigerian institutions to correct the error.
While reiterating its commitment to the global fight against terrorism, the government highlighted Nigeria’s progress in countering extremist groups within its borders. It urged the international community to disregard the misguided ruling and continue to place confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance and rule of law.
Meanwhile, the statement further advised Nigerian nationals to desist from making unfounded allegations against their country as a means of seeking asylum or gaining undue advantage abroad.
