Economist and political activist Professor Pat Utomi has reacted to the legal action initiated against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) following his decision to establish a shadow government.
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Recall that on May 5, Utomi launched the ‘Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government’, an initiative designed to serve as a credible opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to Utomi, the new body draws its membership from a cross-section of Nigeria’s opposition parties and is tasked with regularly scrutinizing government actions, identifying policy failures, and proposing alternative solutions in critical areas such as the economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, law and order, and constitutional reform.
In response, the DSS filed a lawsuit against Utomi, accusing the 2007 African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate of attempting to illegally usurp the executive powers of the president. The agency told the court that Utomi’s actions were capable of destabilizing the country and were intended to create chaos.
Reacting in a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, Utomi dismissed the allegations and reaffirmed his commitment to democratic ideals.
“I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets. It reminds me of the Nigeria I used to know. I want to thank everyone. It’s energizing that some are planning to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS.”
He continued:
“To worship money and power at the expense of the future our children will live in—with no care for peace and progress—is condemnable to all with a decent conscience. We have a moral obligation to resist such darkness.”
“It’s amazing that we are chasing shadows while our constitution is unraveling, aided by those in power. The constitution holds that those who defect from the political parties on which they were elected must have their seats declared vacant. If the DSS enjoys going to court, it should prosecute such cases.”
In earlier posts, Utomi recalled his involvement in Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement during the Sani Abacha regime, referencing his role in organizing a major conference on the future of Nigeria at St. Leo’s Catholic Church in Ikeja, Lagos.
“It was posed as a question: Is this how democracy dies in Nigeria? The answer is yes. This is how democracy dies—when citizens can no longer organize to hold their leaders accountable,” he wrote.
“Under Abacha, we brought Nigerians together at St. Leo’s in Ikeja for a conference on the country’s future. I chaired the planning committee, which was supported by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria under then Father Kukah and Ehusani. Now, for simply advocating democracy, we face persecution.”
Reflecting on the potential consequences of his activism, Utomi wrote:
“Where am I? I will arrive on June 12 and head to Abiola’s residence. My hands are primed for handcuffs. And if the Aquino treatment—like Marcos’ bullet at the airport—is preferred, I submit willingly, like a lamb led to the slaughter. Death is no big deal. Four of my friends are already in the morgue.”
He concluded with a warning and a declaration of resolve:
“What is certain is that Tinubu will not escape the fate that awaits all men. He may have been in London while I faced assassins under Abacha and supplied Chief Enahoro and NADECO abroad with reports of my stance—but we all must ultimately go the way of man.”
Comparing his struggle to those of global freedom icons, Utomi said:
“To the spirits of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and under the holy watch of St. Thomas More, I dedicate what remains of my time on this stage.”
“I remember the scientist Carl Sagan, as the NASA orbiter turned its camera to Earth for the last time—a speck of dust, home to tyrants who threaten rivers of blood, and also to those we have loved. I am emboldened to chant Freedom now. If we die, we die.”
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