Why I may soon relocate to Ghana – Utomi

Renowned political economist and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, has revealed he may be forced to relocate from Nigeria due to what he describes as a sustained campaign to suppress his voice by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

In an interview on Thursday, Prof. Utomi expressed deep frustration over alleged efforts to silence his criticism of the government, stressing that his interventions were born out of a desire to see Nigeria flourish.

“I’m getting fed up with all of this. If they are ready to shut my voice, I am ready to go to Ghana or anywhere else and live peacefully,” he stated.

This development comes as the Department of State Services (DSS) filed a new application at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to curtail Utomi’s public engagements. The security agency, through its counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), urged the court to bar him and his associates from organizing rallies or making public comments related to a pending case against him.

The DSS alleges that Utomi, who contested the 2007 presidential election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is plotting to establish a so-called “shadow government”—a move the agency describes as unconstitutional. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, is set for hearing on June 25.

In a separate motion filed on Wednesday, the DSS requested an interlocutory injunction to prevent Utomi from holding any form of public gathering, including road shows, media appearances, or publishing materials relating to the subject matter of the case. The agency argued that such activities could threaten national stability and public safety.

In response, Utomi confirmed that a legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, has submitted a formal defence on his behalf. The opposition figure decried what he sees as an orchestrated attempt to stifle dissent.

“I will retire next year and leave them to do whatever they want to do. I’m looking for a better country for the next generation. But politicians make it look like dissenting comments,” Utomi remarked.

He added, “I want to inspire the next generation to be free and make progress. It is now up to them. It is up to the current generation to realise that there are people who don’t want their country to grow.”