Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), lead counsel for the Department of State Services (DSS), clarified on Wednesday in Abuja that the agency does not intend to arrest anyone linked to the proposed shadow government allegedly spearheaded by Prof. Pat Utomi, the 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress.

Kehinde made this remark shortly after filing a fresh application at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an interlocutory injunction to restrain Utomi from making further public statements or engaging in rallies connected to a pending lawsuit concerning his announced plan to form a shadow government in Nigeria.

Kehinde, while speaking with journalists, said, “Our client is not interested in arresting anybody on this matter, having on its own accord submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the honourable court to interpret the Constitution and determine the legality or otherwise of the ‘shadow government’ or any other nomenclature that it may be so named.

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“It must be pointed out that our client, under its current leadership, is a very civilised organisation with absolute confidence in the rule of law and that is why its leadership or any of its personnel will always approach the court of law whenever it feels that there is any infraction on its statutory duties by anyone or the rights of its personnel like the case instituted against SERAP by some of its personnel, is being compromised. Let the court have the final say.”

According to the DSS lead counsel, Nigerians should ensure that constitutional democracy and the rule of law thrive in Nigeria. After an emergency cabinet meeting aired live on television, Prime Minister Dick Schoof called Wilders’ decision to pull the PVV out of the coalition both “irresponsible and unnecessary,” expressing his belief that the situation could have been avoided.