ABUJA, Nigeria — The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a legal suit against Professor Pat Utomi, a prominent political economist and former presidential candidate, over his recent launch of a “shadow government” intended to act as a structured opposition to the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The suit, filed on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Akinlolu Kehinde, names Utomi as the sole defendant.
The DSS is seeking a declaration that the formation of the shadow cabinet constitutes a “grave attack” on the Nigerian Constitution and poses a threat to the nation’s democratic stability.
The legal action follows the unveiling of the “Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government” on Monday, May 5, 2025 by Utomi, who described the initiative as a “national emergency response” to what he views as policy failures of the Tinubu-led administration.
The shadow cabinet, comprising civil society figures and professionals such as human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, aims to monitor and critique government actions while proposing alternative solutions.
In a statement posted to his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, May 16, 2025, Utomi revealed that he had received an outpouring of support from across the country in response to the DSS’s lawsuit.
“I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets. Reminds me of the Nigeria I used to know,” he wrote.
“It’s energising (that) some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS.”
Utomi said he sees the move by the secret police as reminiscent of Nigeria’s authoritarian past.
Reflecting on his pro-democracy activism during the Sani Abacha era, he recalled chairing a conference at St. Leo’s in Ikeja to discuss the future of Nigeria.
“Now for shadowing democracy hell comes,” he remarked.
Rejecting suggestions that he might flee the country or go into hiding, the former African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate announced plans to return to Abuja on June 12 — Nigeria’s Democracy Day — where he would visit the residence of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.
“My hands are primed for handcuffs and if the Aquino treatment from Marcos, bullet at the airport, is preferred, I submit willing like a lamb led to slaughter,” he said.
“Death is no big deal. Four of my friends are in the morgue.”
In the same post, Utomi invoked the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and St. Thomas More, declaring his resolve to remain steadfast in his convictions.
The federal government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have criticised the shadow cabinet initiative, calling it unconstitutional and subversive.
The DSS, in its suit, claimed the move was designed to “create chaos and destabilise the country.”
The initiative has also attracted scepticism from other political actors.
Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore dismissed it as a symbolic gesture lacking meaningful impact.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Sowore said, “How do you replace a shadow government with another set of shadowy governments?”
While acknowledging the right to dissent, Sowore questioned the effectiveness of creating an alternative cabinet in a political climate where transparency and accountability are already lacking.
Utomi, however, insists the move is lawful and necessary for Nigeria’s democratic development.
He urged citizens to reclaim their constitutional right to question authority and organise constructively.
Legal proceedings are expected to continue as public discourse intensifies over the limits of political opposition in Nigeria’s democracy.
