{"id":122652,"date":"2025-09-30T15:54:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122652"},"modified":"2025-09-30T15:54:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:54:16","slug":"shadow-government-alien-to-nigerias-constitution-court-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/shadow-government-alien-to-nigerias-constitution-court-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Shadow Government Alien to Nigeria\u2019s Constitution, Court Rules\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained political economist and convener of the \u201cBig Tent\u201d coalition, Prof. Pat Utomi, from establishing or operating what he described as a \u201cshadow government,\u201d declaring the initiative unconstitutional and a threat to Nigeria\u2019s democratic order.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice James Omotosho held that the concept of a shadow government or cabinet is alien to Nigeria\u2019s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and cannot be imported into the country\u2019s presidential system.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The suit was filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), with Utomi as sole defendant.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After dismissing Utomi\u2019s preliminary objections, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining him, his associates, and agents from proceeding with the plan.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Justice Omotosho relied on Sections 1(1) and 1(2) of the Constitution, which affirm its supremacy, and Section 14(2)(a), which vests sovereignty in the people through constitutionally recognized institutions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said any attempt to create alternative governance structures outside the Constitution is null and void.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWhile freedom of expression and association are guaranteed rights, they are not absolute,\u201d the judge said, emphasizing that such rights must be exercised within the bounds of public safety, order, and constitutional authority.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The court agreed with the DSS that creating a shadow government could incite political unrest, confuse the public, and undermine the legitimacy of the elected government.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Justice Omotosho also faulted the use of Big Tent Limited, a limited liability company,\u00a0 as the platform for Utomi\u2019s initiative.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He ruled that a corporate entity registered for commercial purposes cannot be repurposed to form political or governmental structures.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThis court finds that a company limited by liability cannot, under any guise, be converted into a political association to run a government, whether in shadow form or otherwise,\u201d the judge declared.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier this year, in an exclusive interview with Oscar Okhifo of Pointblank News, Utomi defended the necessity of a shadow government, stressing that he had operated similar platforms for years without controversy.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He suggested the sudden uproar was because \u201cthe current government is afraid of the people.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also dismissed the possibility of a court outlawing the initiative, insisting it was not unlawful to establish a platform to hold government accountable. \u201cIt is about strengthening democracy, not undermining it,\u201d he had argued.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Given the unique issues raised, Justice Omotosho invited amici curiae (friends of the court),\u00a0 senior legal experts from across the country\u00a0 to make submissions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0Their opinions, he noted, enriched his final decision.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ruling effectively halts Utomi\u2019s plan to set up a shadow cabinet to mirror the policies of the current administration. It also sets a precedent limiting civil society groups or opposition movements from experimenting with alternative governmental structures outside the Constitution.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The case is expected to spark debate on the boundaries of civic activism and the constitutional limits of political opposition.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As of press time, Utomi had not responded to calls or messages seeking his reaction. It remains unclear whether the respected academic will challenge the judgment on appeal.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo The Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained political economist and convener of the \u201cBig Tent\u201d coalition, Prof. Pat Utomi, from establishing or operating what he described&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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