NEWS LEVERAGE

A former Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress Professor Pat Utomi has issued a bold statement declaring that democracy in Nigeria has effectively died, drawing parallels between the current political climate and the dark days of military rule under General Sani Abacha just hours after he was sued by the Department of Secret Service for his formation of a shadow government.

In a defiant tone on Thursday, Prof. Utomi announced plans to return to the country on June 12, prepared to face arrest or even assassination.

“What is certain is that Tinubu will not escape that same fate,” Uromi wrote, referencing President Bola Tinubu. He recalled the days of pro-democracy struggle when, under Abacha’s regime, he was targeted by assassins while Tinubu was reportedly abroad, aiding the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). Uromi emphasized that despite their different roles in the past, “we all ultimately go the way of man.”

Reflecting on a historic conference on Nigeria’s future held at St. Leo’s in Ikeja, organized under the aegis of the Catholic Secretariat with key clerical figures like then Fr. Matthew Kukah and Fr. George Ehusani, Uromi lamented the erosion of civic space in today’s Nigeria.

He posed a poignant question: “Is this how democracy dies in Nigeria?” and answered it himself: “This is how democracy died in Nigeria, where citizens cannot organise themselves to ask questions of their agents.”

Uromi pledged to visit the residence of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola on June 12, a date symbolic of Nigeria’s democratic struggle. “My hands are primed for handcuffs,” he wrote. “If the Aquino treatment from Marcos, bullet at the airport, is preferred, I submit willingly like a lamb led to slaughter. Death is no big deal. Four of my friends are in the morgue.”

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, the DSS accused Utomi of attempting to usurp the executive powers of President Bola Tinubu in his formation of 39 39-man shadow government. However, Utomi insisted that the formation was within his constitutional right.

According to the DSS, during the inauguration of the ‘shadow cabinet’, Utomi reportedly stated that it includes the Ombudsman and Good Governance portfolio to be led by Dele Farotimi; a Policy Delivery Unit team comprising Oghene Momoh, Cheta Nwanze, Daniel Ikuonobe, Halima Ahmed, David Okonkwo, and Obi Ajuga; as well as a Council of Economic Advisers.

The DSS stated: “Based on the intelligence gathered by the plaintiff, the activities and statements made by the defendant and his associates are capable of misleading segments of the Nigerian public, weakening confidence in the legitimacy of the elected government, and fuelling public disaffection.”