A former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mr Olufemi Soneye, has reacted to a Federal Court of Canada upholding a ruling that classified Nigeria’s APC and PDP as terrorist organisations.
Recall that the foreign nation recently denied asylum to a former member, Douglas Egharevba, over his decade-long affiliation with both parties.
Reacting via a press statement, Soneye decried the dangerous precedent the court verdict sets.
According to him, if democratic nations fail to resist such false tags while they still can, they should expect to find their own politics on trial in a foreign court in the near future.
He stated that if Canada is allowed to get away with jumping to the wrong conclusion, other Western nations will most likely follow suit.
“For Nigerians abroad, especially those who have ever held a party membership card, it signals heightened scrutiny, denied visas, and rejected asylum claims not only in Canada but potentially in other Western democracies that may follow suit,” he said.
Soneye further noted that labelling established parties as terrorist organisations is a direct stain on their legitimacy locally and internationally.
He concluded by saying that allowing such a dangerous label would eventually lead to the suppression of political participation.
“Even more alarming is what this means for democracy. Labeling established political parties as terrorist organisations undermines their legitimacy at home and abroad.
It blurs the vital line between dissent and danger, between governance and extremism. Once such a label is applied, it can be wielded, domestically or internationally as a tool to silence opposition, suppress political participation, and erode civil liberties,” he added.
