If people in government truly grasp the enormity of the task at hand, they ought to be having sleepless nights dealing with real issues: worsening insecurity, excruciating living costs and a disenchanted citizenry. Instead, they and their agencies are unable to read the signs. They waste valuable time poking noses in trivial and inconsequential matters. Despite having all the cards, they’re haunted by a rickety opposition. Traits of a shadowy government.
Last week, the Department of State Service (DSS) was reported to have dragged Prof. Pat Utomi to the Federal High Court, in Abuja, because he dared to announce formation of a pressure group to peer-review activities of government for free. Utomi, an advocate for good governance had unveiled a 39-member shadow government (also referred to as shadow cabinet by the DSS), which the security body profiled to be an affront to the constitutional authority of President Tinubu’s government.
In a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, the DSS accused Professor Utomi of wanting to illegally usurp executive authority from President Bola Tinubu. The Service told the court that Utomi’s plot was capable of throwing the country into chaos, as it is an aberration that constitutes a grave attack on the democratically elected government. It noted that if left unchecked, the resort to form a shadow government may incite political unrest, cause intergroup tensions and embolden others who are unlawful actors to initiate similar separatist tendencies.
The DSS thus asked the court to declare the shadow government or shadow cabinet by Utomi and his group, “unconstitutional as it amounts to an attempt to create a parallel authority not recognised by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
Another prayer by the Service is that the court should declare “the establishment or operation of any governmental authority or structure outside the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) as unconstitutional, null and void.” The DSS wants the court to restrain Prof Utomi from further taking steps to set up his proposed shadow government.
Alongside ongoing coalition talks to challenge the Tinubu administration in the next election, Prof Utomi announced the launch of a “national emergency response” under the banner of the Big Tent Coalition Government, to serve as a credible opposition to the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
According to the Professor, the formation became inevitable to save Nigeria’s democracy, which is on the verge of collapse due to the gale of defection into the ruling party. The imminence of a one-party state, he said, dictates that the new group should unite to regularly scrutinise government actions, identify policy failures and propose alternative solutions in key areas. The initiative, according to him, will focus on the country’s economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, law and order and constitutional reforms.
To get the shadow arrangement on course, portfolios have been allocated to members. Utomi announced that Dele Farotimi, human rights lawyer and activist would lead the Ministry of Ombudsman and Good Governance; Oghene Momoh, Cheta Nwanze, Daniel Ikuonobe, Halima Ahmed, David Okonkwo and Obi Ajuga are to serve in the Policy Delivery unit. Other professionals are allocated various portfolios, and the group is expected to meet weekly to do analyses of policies and proffer reforms in a more rigorous fashion, than what is currently at play in government.
Utomi justified the formation of the group with this: “The recent spate of defections to the APC provides further evidence that all is not well with democracy in Nigeria. The imperative is that if a genuine opposition does not courageously identify the performance failures of incumbents, offer options and influence culture in a counter direction, it will be complicit in subverting the will of the people. This shadow team must also address issues of ethics, transparency and integrity, which continue to challenge this government at every turn. Nothing is more urgent than tackling the rising poverty across the country. Multinationals are shutting down and millions are unemployed. The exit of two companies recently illustrates how poorly thought-out policies have tanked the economy.”
Anyone familiar with what used to be Patito’s Gang, a television talk show made popular decades ago, should not have much difficulty relating with this new idea of trying to mimic an actual government. That talk show had a panel which analysed current issues in politics and the economy. It also featured a segment for young parliamentarians to reflect and have their say on burning state matters. The modus, Utomi later explained “was to create a new moral tribe of citizens with a social and political consciousness of the freeborn, in human solidarity and encouraging of the work ethic, the spirit of enterprise and the principle of subsidiarity or the decentralisation of authority to levels closest to the people…” Something of the civil society talking back to elected authorities.
So far, the shadow group announced by Utomi has not laid any claim to having constitutional authority and instrument of office like an elected government. The group can however claim legitimacy under Sections of the Constitution, like those that authorise citizens’ freedom of expression and right to peaceful assembly and association.
Specifically, Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution says: “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular, he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests.”
The planned shadow government has not announced itself as a political party. To that extent, it may not have contravened INEC’s authority to license it as a party. Many will be unable to locate the nexus between the group’s stated objectives and the dreary picture the DSS has manufactured, of its formation portraying separatist tendencies and creation of a parallel government.
But we may commend the Secret Service for not leaving anything to chance and also for not invoking force to seek knowledge and understanding. Now that the debate has shifted to the court, it certainly should provide more enlightenment on how elastic or rigid the civic space has evolved after 26 unbroken years of democratic rule. Are we truly making democratic progress?
Dragging Prof Utomi and his shadow government to court rehashes antics of security outfits during military regimes, when governments were afraid of their own shadows. In those scorched years, security units crafted all manner of scenarios to implicate members of the civil society and the media. In the bid to protect rogue regimes, citizens were killed and others jailed for trumped-up charges.
Another point to note is the loose and hasty manner the DSS reached the conclusion that what Prof Utomi and friends have come up with, amounted to a shadow government/cabinet. The two could mean different things depending on the political and legal jurisdictions.
Checks with Wikipedia and Meta AI (May 15, 2025) identify shadow governments as groups or organisations that secretly influence or control a country’s governance, often behind the scenes. These are usually un-elected individuals with significant power, with no official position and no accountability.
For instance, we have had years of shadowy groups like the kitchen cabinet or cabals in governments, who pull strings and get things done. Their activities are not transparent. They manipulate public policy and raise concerns regarding democracy and accountability. Those ones are said to constitute a threat to democratic processes.
It’s hard to credit Utomi’s group with these tendencies and capacities. The group has no capacity to manipulate or influence Tinubu’s government to its members and may not qualify as a shadow government in the sense the DSS has submitted.
As for a shadow cabinet, mostly found in parliamentary systems, these are groups of politicians who mirror and track government ministers or cabinet members. Their task is to develop alternative policies to those of the current government. They scrutinise and critique government policies as well as hold government accountable. In some jurisdictions, they get official funding to hire research staff and be well grounded in facts and figures. This appears legitimate and close to what Utomi’s group has set out to achieve.
It is granted that given the reality of its mediocre performance, this government does not want to engage in rigorous debate. What the Utomi group has offered is an opportunity to explain policies from the point of view of more than 200 million Nigerians who are at the receiving end of President Tinubu’s obnoxious economic policies, especially his petrol tax, which has forced multiplier increase in prices of products and services. It is traditional for state agencies to side with government policies against the people. But the harrowing facts are out there on the streets and in homes.
Having more money to share at monthly FAAC meeting does not amount to good governance. Yes, governors and local government authorities are doing well because they take more money home. Lawmakers are doing well, with more money for their constituency projects. There are however millions of citizens who are struggling to eat one meal a day. There are students who are struggling with meals and upkeep, despite the touted billions NELFUND is reluctant to disburse. They prefer to warehouse the funds in banks for unearned profits.
Nigerians yearn for alternative platforms to deconstruct the lies and propaganda of government. The level of insecurity in the country is unprecedented. Take for instance, recent attacks by insurgents on military formations in the North-east and reports of gallant troops falling cheaply due to poor coordination and sabotage.
If this government understands the meaning of accountability, the humiliation of soldiers by ragtag insurgents is an affront on the leadership. The Federal Government ought to show concern and change strategy, but instead, APC foot soldiers have adorned Abuja and Lagos highways with campaign posters for 2027.
They are asking Nigerians to enlist in door-to-door marketing for Tinubu, less than two years after his government afflicted them with extreme poverty and hunger. Conversely, they do not want Prof. Utomi’s group to rally the opposition for a legitimate showdown. Selfish!
