…DSS action civil and appropriate, says lawyer

By Soni Daniel, Abuja

The proposal of a shadow government in Nigeria by former presidential candidate, Prof. Patrick Utomi, has sparked mixed reactions across the country.

While Adeboro Adamson, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for challenging the legality of the move, former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, described it as treason.

Adamson lauded the DSS for its civil approach, emphasizing that its legal challenge was well within its constitutional mandate. Speaking on Arise TV on Sunday, Adamson stated, “DSS has a mandate, which includes the detection and prevention of subversion, terrorism, espionage, among others. If one of its mandates is to prevent subversion, how do we situate the statement of the erudite professor that he has assembled people who will man what he tagged a shadow cabinet?”

He added that the DSS’s decision to opt for a civil lawsuit rather than a criminal charge reflects a “civilized way of doing things,” allowing the courts to interpret the constitutionality of Utomi’s initiative.

Omokri: ‘Shadow Government is Treason’

On the contrary, Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, condemned Utomi’s shadow government as outright treason. Omokri argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not recognize shadow governments under its presidential system.

“Forming a shadow government under a presidential system of government is treason. You cannot try it because the Nigerian Constitution frowns at it,” Omokri stated, citing Section 1 (2) of the Constitution, which affirms that “The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any persons or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”

Omokri further remarked that Utomi, having served under President Shehu Shagari, should be aware that presidential democracies do not accommodate shadow governments of any form.

Utomi had recently launched the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government, describing it as a “national emergency response” aimed at monitoring government actions, identifying failures, and proposing alternative solutions across critical sectors.

The initiative, however, has been flagged by the DSS as an act of subversion, prompting legal action to determine its constitutionality.