The DSS filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing Utomi of attempting to usurp President Bola Tinubu’s executive powers by creating a so-called “shadow government.”
Professor of political economy and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, has said that his supporters want to mobilise a legal team of 500 lawyers to defend him in court against the Department of State Services (DSS) in what he described as attempts to intimidate him for his political views.
Utomi made the revelation on Friday following a lawsuit filed against him by the DSS over his formation of a “shadow government” amid public outcry over President Bola Tinubu’s Nigerian government’s hardship and anti-people policies.
The DSS filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing Utomi of attempting to usurp President Bola Tinubu’s executive powers by creating a so-called “shadow government.”
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, alleges that Utomi’s actions threaten Nigeria’s constitutional democracy and national security.
But in a social media post on Friday, Utomi said, “I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets.
“Reminds me of the Nigeria I used to know. I want to thank all. It’s energising some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS.”
Utomi also berated the DSS over the suit, saying that if the secret police enjoy going to court, they should invest their energy in prosecuting Nigerian politicians who defect from one political party to another against the provisions of the constitution.
He called on the DSS to focus on upholding constitutional provisions in its activities and operations.
“The constitution holds that those who defect from parties they were elected from MUST have their seats declared vacant. If DSS enjoys going to court, it should prosecute such,” he wrote.
Utomi further condemned what he described as the moral decay of the political elite, warning that prioritising personal gain over the nation’s future threatens the well-being of coming generations.
“To worship money and power at the expense of the future all our children will live in, with no care for the peace and progress of those times is condemnable by all of decent conscience,” he stated.
“They have a moral obligation to push back on such darkness.”
Utomi’s comments come amid growing concerns over political intimidation and the erosion of democratic principles in Nigeria.
In the suit against Utomi, the DSS, represented by a legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Akinlolu Kehinde, claimed Utomi’s initiative amounts to a “grave attack” on the Constitution and the democratically elected government.
The agency argued that the so-called shadow cabinet is an unregistered and unrecognised body that seeks to mimic executive authority.
The DSS detailed that Utomi’s alternative structure includes a portfolio for Ombudsman and Good Governance headed by Dele Farotimi, a Policy Delivery Unit comprising Oghene Momoh, Cheta Nwanze, Daniel Ikuonobe, Halima Ahmed, David Okonkwo, and Obi Ajuga, as well as a Council of Economic Advisers.
According to the DSS, this formation may incite political unrest, deepen intergroup tensions, and embolden separatist movements. It cited Sections 1(1), 1(2), and 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution to argue that only institutions formed through legitimate, democratic processes are legal under Nigerian law.
The agency is seeking a court declaration that Utomi’s shadow cabinet is unconstitutional, null, and void and a perpetual injunction to prevent him and his associates from establishing or operating any such parallel governance structure.
In an affidavit, the DSS insisted that intelligence reports confirm Utomi’s actions pose a “clear and present danger” to national stability.
The agency added that attempts by the government, including the Minister of Information, to dissuade Utomi had been rebuffed.
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