A professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, announced on Friday that he is receiving support from some Nigerians who are planning to mobilize about 500 lawyers to defend him in court against the Department of State Services (DSS).
Utomi disclosed this in a post on X.
“It’s energising (that) some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS,” he said.
The DSS had sued Utomi over his alleged plan to establish what he calls “a shadow government” in the country.
According to the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the DSS prayed the court to declare the move an attack on the Constitution.
The professor of Political Economy, who is the 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), was sued as the sole defendant.
In the suit filed on May 13 by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinlolu Kehinde, the agency contended that the move by Utomi was intended to create chaos and destabilise the country.
The DSS had argued that the planned shadow government was not only an aberration but also constituted a grave attack on the Constitution and a threat to the democratically elected government currently in place.
However, Utomi said he was gladdened by the solidarity he had received from across the country.
“I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets. Reminds me of the Nigeria I used to know. I want to thank all.”