FG kicks as Pat Utomi forms shadow govt

Utomi

Prominent economist and political activist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has inaugurated a shadow government composed of members from various opposition parties.

According to Utomi, the “Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government,” launched virtually on Monday evening, will function as a credible opposition force, highlighting the failures of the Bola Tinubu administration while offering ideas for better governance.

But in a swift reaction, the Federal Government kicked against the move, describing it as an aberration in a federal system of government.

In an interview with The PUNCH, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said, “At a time when our nation is set to celebrate 26 unbroken years of presidential democracy, the idea of a so-called “shadow government” is an aberration.

“Nigeria is not a parliamentary system where such a system is practised, and there is no provision for such in our statute books.

“While opposition politics is a central feature of democracy, it must be practised at all times within the bounds of propriety.

“This idea of a shadow government sadly does not pass that test. Our bicameral legislature amply features members of the opposition, and it should be the right place to contest meaningful ideas for nation-building.”

Utomi, however, justified the move, arguing that policy missteps by the current Federal Government had worsened poverty, driven multinational companies out of the country, and intensified terrorism in Benue and Plateau states, alongside rising insecurity and corruption nationwide.

The don expressed concern over what he described as the government’s resort to propaganda and the suppression of opposing views.

“The recent spate of defections to the All Progressives Congress provides further evidence that all is not well with democracy in Nigeria,” he said.