The State Security Service (SSS) has filed a fresh application at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to restrain Professor Pat Utomi, former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), from engaging in public events or media appearances linked to his proposed establishment of a “shadow government.”
The application, filed on Wednesday, requests an interlocutory injunction barring Utomi and his associates from staging rallies, road shows, lectures, media interviews, or any public sensitisation activities aimed at promoting the shadow cabinet until a pending suit against him is heard and determined.
According to court filings by the SSS legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Akinlolu Kehinde, Utomi’s planned return to Nigeria on June 6 could trigger mass gatherings and activities deemed a threat to national unity and public order. The security agency warned that such actions could mirror the widespread unrest of the 2020 End SARS protests if not curtailed.
The SSS argued that Utomi’s actions were “deliberate efforts to undermine the lawful authority of the Nigerian state” and insisted it was acting within its constitutional mandate to prevent threats to national security and internal peace.
The agency said intelligence reports indicate that Utomi, currently abroad, is preparing to stage public events in defiance of the court’s pending judgment, despite being formally served and having entered legal appearance via his counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
Referring to a recent public lecture on May 26 at the University of Lagos, where Utomi defended the shadow government concept, the SSS stated that such comments further undermined the court process and incited unrest.
“The defendant has continued to make inflammatory statements capable of igniting chaos in the country instead of abiding by the hallowed principle that civilized parties before the court must maintain the status quo,” the SSS noted.
Speaking to journalists after filing the suit, Kehinde stressed that the SSS seeks only a legal interpretation of the constitutionality of Utomi’s initiative—not his arrest. “This application is rooted in our client’s duty to maintain internal peace and protect Nigeria’s constitutional democracy,” he said.
He added, “It must be pointed out that our client under its current leadership is a very civilized organization with absolute confidence in the rule of law. That is why it will always approach the court of law.”
The Federal High Court is expected to rule on the application in the coming days as political observers and civil society continue to monitor the unfolding case.
