‘An intellectual drama king’ — APC tackles Pat Utomi over ‘shadow government’ claim

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described Pat Utomi, professor of political economy, as an “intellectual drama king” following his declaration of a “big tent coalition shadow government”.

Felix Morka, national publicity secretary of the APC, said Utomi’s statement contradicts the rationale he gave for the latest in his long list of “big bang” ideas that never materialised.

Utomi had claimed the shadow government was a response to the “policy missteps” of the federal government, which he said had worsened poverty and silenced dissenting views.

“The recent spate of defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC) provides further evidence that all is not well with democracy in Nigeria,” Utomi had said during the May 5 announcement.

But Morka said Utomi had always enjoyed the full liberty to express his thoughts and form coalitions, regardless of their lack of realism or traction.

“Utomi’s unilateral declaration of a ‘shadow government’, in a presidential democracy, is, in and of itself, an exercise of democratic freedom and free speech, in the extreme,” the statement reads.

Morka described as “reckless” and “irresponsible” Utomi’s comparison of Nigeria’s current political climate to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

The APC spokesman said such comparisons were beneath Utomi’s intellectual standing and revealed a descent into “sensational and virulent discourse”.

He argued that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s tolerance of dissent is evident in the freedom Utomi has to make such pronouncements without consequence.

Morka said Utomi’s string of failed political attempts — from seeking the APC governorship ticket in Delta in 2019 to his involvement in Peter Obi’s 2023 campaign — has taken a toll on his judgment.

He said Utomi was revising history by accusing the government of weaponising the removal of petrol subsidy.

“Simply exploiting and dramatizing what are inevitable initial difficulties associated with the policies Nigerians have had to endure for sustainable growth and prosperity is not genius; it smacks of crass political opportunism and desperation,” Morka said.

He added that it is not the duty of the ruling APC to organise or educate opposition parties on how to manage their internal affairs.

He said opposition figures who claim to have superior solutions for Nigeria’s challenges should first show capacity by managing their parties effectively.

“The wave of defections into the APC… is a clear endorsement of the visionary and inclusive leadership of President Bola Tinubu,” Morka said.

He said those joining the APC have chosen “patriotism over partisanship” and are ready to help reposition Nigeria under Tinubu’s leadership.

On April 24, Utomi said he was working to mobilise 7.2 million Nigerians to converge on Abuja in protest against Nigeria’s political elite.

Utomi said the protest, tagged “Freedom Converge”, is aimed at reclaiming the country from “entrenched systems of state capture and self-serving leadership”.