All Progressives Congress (APC) has swiftly moved to set the record straight following erroneous media reports claiming a Canadian court branded the party a terrorist organization.
The APC, in press statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Mokwa, , categorically debunked the claims, calling them “patently erroneous, if not mischievous.”
The controversy stemmed from a judicial review case involving Douglas Egharevba and the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Egharevba, seeking to overturn a decision by Canada’s Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) that deemed him inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), found his application dismissed on June 17, 2025, by Judge Phuong T.V. Ngo. The court’s ruling, however, had nothing to do with labeling the APC as a terrorist group.
In the 16-page judgment, the APC was mentioned only fleetingly in the background section, where Egharevba claimed membership in the party from December 2007 to May 2017. The APC was quick to point out a glaring error in this claim. “For the record, APC was not in existence as of 2007. The Party was registered in 2013,” stated Morka.
“The Applicant’s claim of membership of APC as of 2007 is evidently false as he could not have been a member of APC that didn’t exist at the time.” He said
The court’s focus was on Egharevba’s membership in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which it found had engaged in “subversive acts” against Nigeria’s electoral process, as per paragraph 34(1)(b.1) of the IRPA. Judge Ngo emphasized, “I cannot find the IAD’s conclusion that the Elections in question constituted a democratic process or institution and that the PDP, its members and supporters engaged in subversive acts… to be unreasonable.”
Notably, the judge explicitly avoided any analysis of terrorism, stating, “Having found that the IAD’s analysis on subversion was reasonable, this is sufficient to dismiss the application for review. I will therefore refrain from analyzing the IAD’s findings on terrorism.”
The APC condemned the media’s misrepresentation, arguing that any declaration against the party would have been an “unjustifiable overreach” and a “major breach of fair hearing,” given that the APC was not a party to the proceedings.
Morka underscored the lack of jurisdiction and extraterritorial relevance of such a ruling, urging Nigerians to disregard the reports as “false and misleading.”
As the dust settles, the APC remains steadfast, rallying its supporters to focus on the facts and dismiss the sensationalized narrative. “We urge our Party faithful, supporters, and all Nigerians to disregard the reports,” Morka concluded, reaffirming the party’s commitment to transparency and truth.