Executive-legislative relationship and its effect on political development in Nigeria
The focus of this study is on the executive and legislative relationship in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. The executive and legislative relationship in model government is crucial to any meaningful institution, inter-dependency, and harmony. It discusses the fundamental roles, personnel and constitu...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70370/1/FEM%202017%207%20IR.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70370/ |
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| Summary: | The focus of this study is on the executive and legislative relationship in Nigeria’s
Fourth Republic. The executive and legislative relationship in model government is
crucial to any meaningful institution, inter-dependency, and harmony. It discusses the
fundamental roles, personnel and constitutional powers of the executive and
legislature. The executive-legislative relationship ought to promote harmony, checks
and balances and political development. However, in Nigeria this relationship has
witnessed suspicion, blackmail, intrigues and acrimony. The Military in Nigeria
politics has relegated the legislative institution and allocated more powers to the
executive which has contributed to executive interference in the legislative process.
This has had negative implication on the independent of the legislative in Nigeria.
Based on this, this study focuses on examining the factors influencing executive and
legislative conflicts and harmony. It explains the extent of executive interference in
the legislative functions and the implications of this relationship on political
development in Nigeria’s Fourth republic.
A qualitative method is used in the research and the data are collected mainly through
document analysis and supported with interviews from twelve informants. The
informants are selected among the executive ministers, legislators, academicians, and
seasoned politicians. All informants are well informed with over ten years working
experience. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed which supported
document data analysis. This research used content analysis to descriptively analyze
the results from documents and interviews.
The importance of this study is to help administrators of the Nigerian State crafts on
whose shoulder much is anticipated, to harmonious and interdependently work for the
development of the nation. It is also important to help aspiring leaders to understand
the working relationship between the executive and legislatures in a presidential
setting. Evidence from findings showed that there is a sour and injurious relationship between
the executive and legislative, and this has had a negative impact on political
development. Again, the extent of legislative independence is crucial to a presidential
system, but findings showed that executive supremacy over legislature has
undermined the institution from successfully performing the roles of representing the
people through law-making and oversight.
This study emphasizes and recommends the need for a Constitution Drafting
Committee and Constituent Assembly to totally draft a fresh Constitution for Nigeria
to address the current unjust political structures, other than the constitution in use as
handed down by the Military. This will promote adherence to the rule of law and
prosecution of political offenders, and by so doing, the executive and legislative arms
of government will confine themselves to their constitutional roles and be partners in
progress in nation building and development. |
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