Professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, says citizens’ failure to organise themselves and ask questions over day-to-day government policies on critical sectors that affect their lives led to the sudden death of democracy in Nigeria.

Speaking on his X account on Thursday, Utomi argued that people’s voices have been suppressed by the government, thus stopping the citizens from identifying government’s failures, and proposing alternative solutions across critical sectors, such as the economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, law and order, and constitutional reform.

The founder of Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) and the political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described the current wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as symptom of a failing democratic culture, stressing that any democracy without a courageous and responsive opposition will end up suppressing people’s will.

”It was posed as a question: Is this how democracy dies in Nigeria? The answer is in the affirmative. This is how democracy died in Nigeria. Where citizens cannot organise themselves to ask questions of their agents,” he said on X

Utomi said democracy in Nigeria has been eroded by fear and violence, noting that even under military rule, citizens were freer to express themselves.

Recall that the Department of State Services (DSS) sued Professor Pat Utomi over his alleged plan to establish “a shadow government” in the country.

In the suit filed on May 13, DSS was specifically seeking an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, his agents and associates “from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a ‘shadow government,’ ‘shadow cabinet’ or any similar entity not recognised by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”