The Federal High Court in Abuja has halted a move by former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, to set up a shadow government in the country, branding the idea unconstitutional and alien to Nigeria’s system of governance.
Justice James Omotosho, in his ruling on Monday, barred Utomi and his associates from proceeding with their plan, stressing that such an arrangement has no place in the nation’s presidential system.
The suit was initiated by the Department of State Services (DSS), which argued that Utomi’s proposed action posed a potential threat to national security.
Delivering judgment, Justice Omotosho upheld the DSS’s position, commending the agency for acting within its mandate to forestall activities capable of undermining the country’s internal stability.
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According to the judge, while citizens have the right to freedom of association and to criticise government policies, those rights cannot be used as a shield for unlawful ventures.
He therefore declared the shadow government plan “illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional.”
The court’s decision effectively places a legal barrier against Utomi and his group’s attempt to institute what they had described as an alternative cabinet in Nigeria.