ABUJA, Nigeria — A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to hear a suit filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) against Professor Pat Utomi over the launch of his “shadow government” initiative.
Presiding judge James Omotosho set the date after granting a motion ex parte moved by DSS counsel Akinlolu Kehinde, who sought permission to serve court documents on Utomi via courier to his Lagos address.
Kehinde explained that previous attempts to deliver the documents directly to the defendant had been unsuccessful.
The lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, stems from the recent formation of the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government, which Utomi announced on Monday, May 5, 2025.
The initiative, according to Utomi, is intended to serve as a credible opposition to the Bola Tinubu administration and to provide alternative governance perspectives.
The DSS contends that the initiative is a threat to national stability, describing it as an unconstitutional attempt to create a parallel authority not recognised by the 1999 Constitution.
The agency warns that the move could incite political unrest, deepen inter-group tensions, and encourage separatist groups and other unlawful actors to establish similar parallel structures.
In its filings, the DSS asks the court to declare the shadow government unconstitutional and to issue a perpetual injunction restraining Utomi, his agents, and associates from taking further steps toward operating the shadow cabinet or any similar body.
Citing sections 1(1), 1(2), and 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the agency argues that only government institutions established by the Constitution have legal legitimacy, and that any deviation from this structure undermines national unity and security.
Utomi, a respected economist and political commentator, launched the shadow cabinet as a response to what he described as leadership failure and democratic backsliding in the country.
He insists the initiative is lawful and rooted in civic duty, not subversion.
The cabinet features professionals and public figures assigned to portfolio roles that mirror existing federal ministries, with the goal of offering alternative policy directions and oversight.
While some critics have dismissed the shadow cabinet as a symbolic gesture, others view it as an innovative effort to hold the government accountable.
The development has stirred debate on the boundaries of dissent, constitutionalism, and democratic engagement.
Following the court’s approval for substituted service, Utomi is expected to receive the court documents through courier ahead of the hearing.
