The Department of State Services
(DSS) has asked a federal high court in Abuja to restrain Pat Utomi, a
professor of political economy, from further making public comments or staging
rallies to promote his shadow government.
On May 5, Utomi announced the
formation of a shadow government.
The initiative, launched
virtually under the banner of the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government, aims to
serve as a “credible opposition” to the President Bola Tinubu administration.
The DSS thereafter filed a suit
marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025 against the professor, praying the court to declare
that the shadow government violates the constitution.
In a fresh application brought
before the court, the secret service through its counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde,
submitted that it gathered, through monitoring and intelligence reports, that
Utomi, who is out of the country and is due to return on June 6, plans “to
stage road shows and rallies under the guise of freedom of speech and association
in a bid to cause public discontent in furtherance of his establishment of the
purported shadow government/shadow cabinet”.
In a supporting affidavit, the
plaintiff added that Utomi’s intention “is to stage road shows and rallies that
are capable of drawing a large number of Nigerians with intent that will cause
huge disruption of peace, breakdown of public order, enable riots and violent
protests just as the recent ‘End SARS’ protests in 2020″.
“All the planned protests, riots
and agitations that will ensue, if the purported actions of the
defendant/respondent are not stayed, may lead to mayhem with a potential for
anarchy, loss of lives and property.
“The proposed allies, road shows
and actions of the defendant/respondent constitute a serious threat to the
public order, safety and national unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The DSS stated that on May 26,
during the fourth edition of the Topaz Lecture Series, themed ‘Shadow
Government: A Distraction or Necessity’, hosted by the University of Lagos
(UNILAG) Mass Communication class of 1988 alumni association, Utomi made
statements capable of undermining the pending suit.
They averred that if not
restrained, Utomi’s proposed rallies, road shows and actions “constitute a
serious threat to the public order, safety and national unity of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria”.
Consequently, the applicants are
praying the court for “an order of
interlocutory injunction, restraining the defendant/respondent (Utomi), his
agents, privies, associates, servants, workers or any person acting through him
from staging road shows, rallies, public lectures or any form of public
gathering, newspaper publications, television programmes, jingles or any other
public enlightenment programme (s) aimed at sensitising, instigating,
propagating or in any way promoting the purported “shadow government/shadow
cabinet” or its objectives or goals with the view to establishing the said
“shadow government” pending the hearing and determination of this substantive
suit”.
“It is in the interest of
justice, national security, and the rule of law for this honourable court to
grant this application,” the suit reads.
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