Former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has faulted a recent judgment of a Canadian court which reportedly classified Nigeria’s two dominant political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as “terrorist organisations.”
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Describing the decision as “balderdash,” the constitutional lawyer accused the court of “inconsistency,” noting that it admitted Nigeria was engaged in democratic processes yet arrived at a contradictory conclusion.
“I think the Canadian court was inconsistent,” Sagay said. “On one hand, they admitted that Nigeria holds elections and engages in democratic processes, which they used against the asylum seeker. But on the other hand, they claimed that because of occasional violence and election rigging, the parties constitute terrorist organisations. That is absolute balderdash.”
According to Sagay, a terrorist organisation is fundamentally different from political parties that sometimes witness electoral malpractice.
“A terrorist organisation is one that imposes fear on the population by violence, destruction, and killing, with the main aim of controlling society through fear and destruction of lives and property. That is not the case here. Yes, there is rigging in Nigeria and occasional election violence, but the majority of voting is peaceful enough to say we are engaged in proper democratic governance. The parties are not terrorist organisations at all. The basis of that judgment is wrong,” he stressed.
Nonetheless, the senior advocate said he supported the ruling to the extent that it prevented Nigerians from tarnishing the country’s image in pursuit of asylum abroad.
“The effect of the judgment is that the man went there scandalising Nigeria to get asylum, and it backfired. He needed to be sent back and should be tried here for attempting to wreck the country’s reputation. There must be some provision in the law to prosecute such acts,” Sagay argued.
He cited past instances where Nigerians exaggerated claims to secure asylum abroad, such as alleging widespread female genital mutilation (FGM) across the country.
“Women seeking asylum sometimes say they are escaping sexual mutilation, giving the impression that the whole of Nigeria practices it. That is false, as only a few communities still engage in it. But once they make such claims abroad, they are granted asylum. It is a tendency among our people to run down the country for personal gain. That is exactly what this man tried to do, and thank God it failed. Let him come and meet us here; we are waiting for him,” he concluded.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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