A federal high court in Abuja has ruled against Professor Pat Utomi and his team, preventing them from proceeding with plans to set up a shadow government in Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that delivering judgment on Monday in a case instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS), Justice James Omotosho ruled that the creation of a shadow cabinet is unconstitutional and incompatible with Nigeria’s presidential system.
Utomi had unveiled the initiative on May 5 under the Big Tent Coalition, presenting it as a structured opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
DSS, however, filed a suit on May 14, arguing that the plan amounted to an attempt to usurp executive authority. In July, Utomi went further by announcing members of his proposed shadow cabinet, aimed at offering alternative policy directions.
The DSS also warned that Utomi’s initiative could inflame unrest similar to the #EndSARS protests. In response, Utomi filed a preliminary objection, asserting that the DSS had no legal basis for the case and was seeking to suppress constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, association, and political participation.
Justice Omotosho, however, disagreed, ruling that Nigeria’s legal framework does not permit any alternative or parallel government.
He emphasised that Section 14(2)(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides no grounds for a shadow government, declaring the project void and without constitutional backing.
