Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must urgently take legal steps to prove they are not terrorist organisations, following a recent Canadian court judgment that described them as such.
In a statement on Monday, Falana maintained that instead of trading insults with the Canadian court, the political parties should seek legal redress to clear their names.
“Rather than abusing the Canadian judge, the APC and PDP should urgently adopt legal measures to prove that they are not terrorist organisations,” he said.
Falana tied the ruling to Nigeria’s history of violent elections, rigging, and political impunity, arguing that the Canadian court’s stance is reinforced by the conduct of both parties.
“It is common knowledge that APC and PDP rig elections and announce fake results with the help of armed police personnel and soldiers. Citizens who resist are violently attacked, sometimes killed, while the perpetrators go unpunished,” he stated.
Citing past remarks by political leaders, Falana recalled ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s description of the 2003 elections as a “do-or-die affair,” and President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 call to supporters to “fight for power, grab it, snatch it, and run with it.”
The senior lawyer argued that such rhetoric, alongside widespread electoral violence, only validates the Canadian court’s finding that Nigeria’s ruling parties thrive on brute force.
He also faulted what he described as the government’s class-biased enforcement of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act.
According to him, while unarmed citizens arrested during the #EndHardship protests still face terrorism charges, corrupt politicians whose actions impoverish citizens escape prosecution.
Falana further warned of the international fallout of the judgment, stressing that Nigerians linked to APC or PDP risk visa denials and deportations in countries like the US, UK, and France.
“If the ruling is not overturned, it may be registered in the US, UK, France, etc., meaning APC and PDP members could face deportation or visa revocation,” he cautioned.
He urged the Federal Government to act swiftly, hiring immigration lawyers to challenge the ruling and remove what he described as the “stigma of infamy” associated with the judgment.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has called on the Canadian authorities to retract what it termed an “erroneous” designation of Nigerian political parties as terrorist organisations.
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