Court Bans Utomi’s Shadow Government, Backs DSS

By MELVIN KOFFA

A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared unconstitutional the attempt by Professor Pat Utomi and his associates to form a shadow government under the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government (BTCSG).

Justice James Omotosho, ruling in a suit filed by the DSS, held that the move was unlawful, null, and void, stressing that fundamental rights to association do not extend to creating parallel authority outside the Constitution.

The court advised Utomi and his group to form or join a political party if they wish to oppose government policies. It further upheld the DSS’s mandate to prevent actions capable of threatening national security.