Canadian judge an ignoramus – APC fires back over ‘terrorist party’ comment

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hit back at Justice Phuong Ngo of the Federal Court of Canada, calling him an ‘ignoramus’ after he labelled the party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) terrorist organisations.

The exchange comes after a ruling that classified APC and the PDP as terrorist organisations was upheld by the Canadian court.

The court also denied asylum to a former member, Douglas Egharevba, due to his long affiliation with the APC and PDP.

While giving his verdict on June 17, 2025, Justice Ngo had dismissed Egharevba’s application for judicial review after the Immigration Appeal Division found him inadmissible under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, IRPA.

The Peoples Gazette reported that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness had argued that the APC and PDP were involved in political violence, subversion of democracy and electoral bloodshed in Nigeria.

Reacting, APC scribe, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said, “The presiding judge must be an ignoramus! We are not party to the suit, and the court has no jurisdiction to determine the status of a Nigerian recognised political party, not to talk of declaring it as a terrorist organisation.

“It is unfortunate that some desperate and unpatriotic Nigerians will allow the name of the country to be brought to unpalatable commentary by racist judges on account of self-contracted application for asylum.

“The so-called judgment was obviously delivered from a jaundiced perspective and within the narrow confines of determining eligibility for asylum by an applicant.

“The APC is a credible democratic political organisation and does not seek legitimacy from a foreign bench and under a law that has no extraterritorial application.”