2027: Utomi describes defections as signs of democratic decay

Political economist and convener of the shadow government, Professor Pat Utomi, has decried the increasing wave of political defections in Nigeria, describing it as symptomatic of institutional failure and democratic decay. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Utomi said the shadow government was established to enhance governance through expertise and ideological clarity. “We wake […]

Political economist and convener of the shadow government, Professor Pat Utomi, has decried the increasing wave of political defections in Nigeria, describing it as symptomatic of institutional failure and democratic decay.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Utomi said the shadow government was established to enhance governance through expertise and ideological clarity.

“We wake up one day and the only news that seems to matter is who has defected,” he lamented. “It means those people, from the onset, did not understand why they were elected.”

On the current efforts to build a coalition ahead of the 2027 elections, Utomi said the initiative was still evolving. “Our prayer is that they remember it should not just be about winning elections,” he said. “They should work on how to govern, because that’s the major problem we have in Nigeria.”

Utomi said the country’s democratic space had become “theatre-like”, where political players are cheered on while the country suffers.
“Our democracy has suffered very, very badly,” he noted. “We have become part of the theatre, and we’re cheering as the country is dying.”
He criticised the distortion of legislative responsibilities, particularly the focus on constituency projects, which he said undermines the principle of checks and balances.
Utomi explained that the shadow government comprises individuals from opposition parties who are assigned to monitor specific government departments and policy areas.
He noted that the concept is not new, recalling that he proposed a similar idea to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2008.
“He didn’t find it alarming. He thought it was part of the evolution of democracy,” Utomi said. “The only problem was that he wanted me to join his cabinet. And I said, I have just created another one.”
Utomi reiterated that the coalition should not be seen as merely an electoral vehicle but rather as a value-driven platform with a clear ideological orientation.
Recall that the federal government had through the Department of State Services asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the shadow government as an attack on the constitution and thus illegal. The matter is yet to be decided by the court.
Also speaking, Nana Sani Kazaure, the shadow minister for communication and public orientation, called for a shift in public discourse. She urged Nigerians to prioritise national unity and development over ethnic, religious, or partisan divisions.
She praised Professor Utomi for assembling the shadow cabinet, describing the initiative as “timely” and necessary for Nigeria’s democratic healing.