A professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, has said that he is presently receiving support from some Nigerians who wish to mobilise 500 lawyers to defend him against the Department of State Services. Recall that the DSS recently sued the economist over his alleged plan to establish what he calls a shadow government in the country.
Speaking via his X account, Utomi revealed that he feels honoured to see Nigerians trying to rally behind him in the fight for good governance in Nigeria.
“It’s energising (that) some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS,” he wrote.
According to the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, DSS wants the court to declare Utomi’s mission an attack on the constitution.
Suing Pat as the sole defendant, DSS claimed that the group Utomi is planning to create will definitely cause chaos across the country.
According to the Department of State Services, the potential shadow government is not just an aberration, but it also constitutes a massive attack on the constitution, which will inevitably result in a clear threat to the current democratically elected government.
Reacting to the suit, Utomi said that he is grateful for the messages of solidarity from across Nigeria. He hailed his fellow citizens for standing with him, while adding that the show of support reminds him of the Nigeria he used to know.
“I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets.
They remind me of the Nigeria I used to know. I want to thank all,” Utomi wrote.
The planned shadow government was met with different reactions from several Nigerians, including a former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, who maintained that it was an ineffective symbolic gesture that lacked real-world impact on Nigeria’s current issues.
“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,” he added.
