Nigeria, July 10 -- A group of legal experts was divided on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding the legitimacy of Pat Utomi's call for a "shadow government".

The submissions from the experts invited by Judge James Omotosho came down to a central issue: whether Mr Utomi's proposition was protected by the right to freedom of expression or whether it conflicted with a strict interpretation of the constitution.

The judge has fixed 29 September to deliver judgement on the suit, which the State Security Service (SSS) filed last month against the shadow government call by Mr Utomi, a political economist and former presidential candidate.

Mr Omotosho invited in June seven senior lawyers from the advocacy and academic lines to...