Isaac Samuel
A former presidential candidate and professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, has revealed that efforts are underway to assemble 500 lawyers to defend him against a suit filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Utomi disclosed this on Friday via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “It’s energising (that) some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS.”
The DSS recently filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing Utomi of attempting to establish a shadow government, a move the agency described as a threat to the Nigerian Constitution and the democratically elected government.
Filed on May 13 by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinlolu Kehinde, the DSS urged the court to declare the initiative illegal, alleging that it was designed to incite chaos and destabilise the country.
Utomi, who contested the 2007 presidential election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is listed as the sole defendant in the case.
Reacting to the legal action, Utomi expressed gratitude for the wave of support he has received.
“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. I want to thank all”, he wrote.
The planned shadow cabinet was greeted by reactions from several Nigerians, including a former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, who said it was an ineffective symbolic gesture that lacked real-world impact on Nigeria’s pressing challenges
Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources on Sunday, Sowore, described the idea of a shadow government as a symbolic gesture with no real-world impact.
.
He said, “Well, how do you replace a shadow government with another set of shadowy governments? I would not begrudge anybody who thinks of solutions that can bring awareness to the people.
“But I do not think that setting up a government with names of people who call themselves a shadow government makes any difference”
