DSS right to challenge Utomi’s shadow govt. – SAN
Adeboro Adamson, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has supported the Department of State Services' legal case against the contentious shadow government that former presidential candidate Professor Pat Utomi proclaimed.
Adamson praised the DSS for staying within the bounds of the constitution during a live interview on Arise TV on Sunday night, calling its strategy "civilized" and compliant with its legal duty.
Among other things, the DSS's mandate calls for the detection and prevention of espionage, terrorism, and subversion. The senior lawyer said, "How do we place the erudite professor's claim that he has put together individuals who will man what he dubbed a shadow cabinet if one of the DSS's objectives is to prevent subversion?"
A prominent figure in opposition circles and a political economy professor, Utomi recently announced what he called the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government, characterizing it as a "national emergency response" effort.
He claims that the action is intended to track how well the current administration is performing, spot governance flaws, and offer substitute policy alternatives in important areas.
However, both legal experts and political actors have responded strongly to the plan.
The DSS launched a judicial challenge, arguing that the action would jeopardize national stability and that such a parallel governing structure is unconstitutional.
Adamson justified the agency's decision, stating that it was better than a criminal crackdown and that it was also within its purview.
“Some might ask why the DSS chose a civil suit over a criminal one? My answer is that the DSS has chosen to submit to the courts to determine if the actions and utterances of the revered professor can be situated within the confines of the Constitution,” Adamson said.
He added, “This is a civilized way of doing things.”
Reno Omokri, a former advisor to former President Goodluck Jonathan, also responded, going so far as to call Utomi's idea treasonous.
"What Professor Utomi is doing is not activism," Omokri stated on social media. Treason is what it is. A nation with a constitutionally elected president cannot have a shadow government. That, in other words, is a coup.
However, Utomi maintains that his alliance is neither unlawful nor unconstitutional.
"This is not an attempt to overthrow the government," he stressed during the shadow government's inauguration. This is a response to a national emergency. In the areas of governance, security, health, and education, we will watch, evaluate, and provide alternatives.
