Utomi unveils shadow cabinet, backs ADC as alternative platform

Pat Utomi, professor of political economy, has unveiled members of a shadow cabinet to provide policy alternatives to the federal government.

Speaking in Abuja after a two-day retreat of ‘The Big Tent’, Utomi named Nana Kazaure (information), Riwang Pam (security), Nike Omola (women and gender development), and Peter Agada (infrastructure) as members.

He said the cabinet will not compete with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, but offer expert reviews of government policies.

“The progress of any government is to ensure the welfare of the people,” ARISE TV quoted Utomi as saying.

“There must be alternative views and reviews to help government move in the right direction.

“Legislators were not elected to execute projects, to do otherwise is to make them slaves who go cap in hand begging the executive.

‘’With this kind of practice, the members of the legislature will not be able to perform one of their basic duties, which is checks and balances.’’

Utomi said he pitched the idea of a shadow cabinet to the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007, and declined an offer to join his government.

He said Nigeria lacks the political will and national strategy needed for development, citing the coastal highway project as an example of unilateral policymaking.

The professor also faulted the federal government’s approach to agriculture, saying the sector must move beyond “hoes and cutlasses”.

Utomi asked the government to prioritise insecurity and embrace state police.

On the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said its emergence as a coalition party offers Nigerians a credible alternative.

“The coalition is a work in progress, using value-driven projects to move the country forward,” he said.

BACKGROUND

On May 5, Utomi announced a shadow government under the Big Tent Coalition, describing it as a credible opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The DSS filed a suit at the federal high court, asking the court to declare Utomi’s shadow cabinet unconstitutional and restrain him from making public comments or staging rallies.

The secret police told the court that Utomi, who was abroad at the time but returned June 6, planned road shows to incite discontent under the guise of free speech.

The DSS warned such actions could mirror the 2020 #EndSARS protests, risking public disorder, riots, and large-scale violence if not stopped.

Utomi later expressed frustration with the authorities’ actions, saying he may consider leaving the country over efforts to suppress his voice.