Prove you are not terrorist organisations, Falana challenges APC, PDP

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Femi Falana, has asked the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party to demonstrate that they are not terrorist organisations, following a ruling by a Canadian Federal Court which described both parties as entities engaging in conduct amounting to terrorism under Canadian law.

In a statement on Monday, Falana said the parties should address the grave issues raised in the judgment rather than dismissing the pronouncements of Justice Phuong Ngo, who had ruled that Nigeria’s two dominant parties “use violence, coercion and subversion of democratic institutions in their bid to acquire political power.”

The ruling came in the dismissal of the asylum appeal of a Nigerian, Douglas Egharevba, with the court declaring APC and PDP as “terrorist organisations.”

Falana warned that the verdict carried far-reaching implications, pointing out that under Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, terrorism is defined as the use of violence, intimidation, or coercive tactics with political or ideological motives — actions he said are frequently observed during elections in the country. Punch