By Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
Former Kaduna State Senator, Shehu Sani, has strongly condemned a recent ruling by a Canadian court labelling Nigeria’s two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), as “terrorist organisations.”
The former lawmaker, speaking during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, dismissed the judgment as an insult to Nigeria’s sovereignty, insisting that the country has never engaged in colonization or slavery, unlike Western nations that continue to wage wars globally.
The ruling in question followed a case filed in a Federal Court in Ontario, Canada, where a Nigerian plaintiff sought asylum, alleging persecution by the Nigerian government. In its decision, the court controversially referred to the PDP and APC as “political wings of terrorist groups,” citing allegations of violence during elections and governance.
While the judgment was primarily focused on the asylum claim, the classification of Nigeria’s dominant political parties as terrorist-linked sparked outrage among Nigerian officials and citizens. The Federal Government swiftly rejected the claim, describing it as “baseless and disrespectful.”
Senator Sani, a prominent civil rights activist and former federal lawmaker, dismissed the court’s verdict as hypocritical, especially coming from nations with histories of warfare and oppression.
“Nigeria has not colonised any nation nor encouraged slavery. The world just remembered 80 years of the Hiroshima bombing, and we have seen nations going to bomb other nations. Yet, they are called democratic nations. Nigeria, instead, has contributed to regional and global peace”, he said.
He further argued that while no country is perfect, Nigeria’s democratic institutions should not be unfairly maligned by foreign courts with limited understanding of its political landscape.
“It is true that no nation is perfect, but we are too big for one obscure court in Canada to describe the biggest political parties in our country as terrorist organisations. We should all stand up for our nation and say no to that,” Sani declared.
The Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had earlier condemned the Canadian court’s remarks, calling them “reckless and uninformed.” A statement from the ministry emphasized that Nigeria operates under democratic principles and that its political parties are legitimate entities recognized by law.
“Such judicial overreach undermines the sovereignty of nations and disregards the democratic progress Nigeria has made,” the statement read.
The court’s classification has stirred debates among Nigerians, with many viewing it as another instance of Western bias against African nations.
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