Renowned political economist and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, has boldly declared his readiness to face arrest and legal action following a suit filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his plan to establish a shadow government.
In a defiant statement released on Friday, Utomi announced that he would return to Nigeria on June 12 — Democracy Day — and head directly to the residence of the late MKO Abiola, symbolically invoking the spirit of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
The DSS had on May 13, 2025, filed a case against Utomi at the Federal High Court in Abuja. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, the security agency, represented by senior advocate Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), accused Utomi of plotting to destabilise the Nigerian state by declaring an alternative government. The agency claims that such a move poses a threat to the country's constitutional order.
Reacting to the development in a series of emotional and thought-provoking posts on his official X handle (formerly Twitter), Utomi thanked Nigerians for their overwhelming support and solidarity. He described the DSS action as a dangerous attempt to criminalise civic engagement and suppress democratic dialogue.
“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,” Utomi wrote, drawing attention to what he described as the rapid erosion of democratic norms in the country.
He revealed that a group of citizens was already mobilising as many as 500 lawyers to defend him in the legal battle, a gesture he said left him both humbled and energised.
“It was put as a question: Is this how democracy dies in Nigeria? The answer is in the affirmative. This is how democracy died in Nigeria—when citizens cannot organise themselves to ask questions of their agents,” he said.
Referencing his past activism during the dark days of military rule, Utomi recalled his role in organising resistance during General Sani Abacha's regime, particularly the 1990s conference in Ikeja, Lagos, which was coordinated under the Catholic Secretariat with the support of then Fr. Matthew Kukah and George Ehusani.
In a powerful show of civil defiance, Utomi said he was not afraid of arrest or even assassination. “Where am I? I will arrive on June 12 and head to Abiola’s residence.
My hands are primed for handcuffs, and if the Aquino treatment from Marcos—a bullet at the airport—is preferred, I submit willingly like a lamb led to the slaughter,” he declared.
He warned that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was once an active member of the pro-democracy struggle in exile, might face the same backlash of history.
Utomi also drew inspiration from historical figures known for civil disobedience and moral courage — Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and St. Thomas More — while invoking the words of astronomer Carl Sagan to reflect on the fleeting nature of power and life.
“A speck of dust, home to tyrants who have threatened rivers of blood; and also to all those we have loved. I am emboldened to chant: Freedom now. If we die, we die,” he wrote.
As June 12 approaches, Utomi’s bold declaration is poised to reignite national debates on civil liberties, the role of opposition in a democracy, and the legacy of June 12 as a symbol of the people’s will. The stage is set, and all eyes will be on Nigeria come Democracy Day.