Daily Chronicle
The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the concept of a “shadow government” unconstitutional under Nigeria’s presidential system. In a suit filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) against Prof. Pat Utomi, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the initiative posed a threat to national security and could incite public unrest.
The court issued a perpetual injunction restraining Utomi and his associates from proceeding with the plan, citing that while freedom of association and expression are guaranteed, they are not absolute and do not permit unlawful activities.
Utomi’s Big Tent Coalition had announced the shadow government initiative in May as a credible opposition to the President Bola Tinubu administration. The DSS argued that it usurped executive authority, while the federal government stated that it was not provided for in Nigeria’s statute books.