EXECUTIVE-LEGISLATIVE RELATIONS IN THE FOURTH REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, 1999-2007: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Date

2016-01-22

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Department of Public and International Law, Nasarawa State University, Keffi

Abstract

This study represents an attempt to critically, examine the relationship between the executive arm and the legislative arm of government between 1999 and 20007 when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the Executive President of the country. It was a relationship that was characterized by disagreements, struggle for supremacy, and mutual mistrust between the two arms with disastrous consequences for peace and good governance in the country. The contentious issues that inflamed the relations between the two arms of government included withholding of salaries of National Assembly members by the Chief Executive, none or partial implementation ofj appropriation bills by the Executive, general disrespect for the rule of law by both the Executive and the legislature, inclusion of extraneous clause into the electoral bill, 2001 by the Executive, and the controversy over furniture loan. The controversies arising from all these issues marred relations between the two arms. It was also discovered that there was an element of greed, particularly on the part of the law makers in the House of Representatives. This could be seen in the fact that they unilaterally increased the budget estimates for 2002 so that they would remove the extra money for their own use. Efforts have been made in this work to unravel the causes, dimensions, and implications of the crises between the two arms of government during the period. The study adopts doctrinal approach, relying mainly on secondary sources drawn largely from law books and the 1999 constitution. The research revealed that inadequate understanding of the workability of the 1999 constitution and the struggle for supremacy accounted largely for the frosty relationship between the Executive and the legislative during the period 1999-2007. It is recommended among other things, that the interdependent aspects of the Executive and the legislature should be further explored by other researchers to expand our knowledge about the nexus among the three organs of government with a view to identifying strategies for reducing friction between them. It is also recommended that training and retraining of successive members of the National Assembly on the modality of operation of the presidential system of government with inbuilt separation of powers and checks and balances will enable them to come to grips with the intricacies and complexities of the system, and this will go a long way in helping them to cultivate the spirit of cooperation with the executive arm. In the*same way, whoever is the Executive president must demonstrate maturity, tolerance, and a high degree of patriotism. It is only a harmonious relationship between the two arms of government that can create an enabling environment for entrenching and consolidating democracy, good governance, and for reaping the dividends of democracy in the country

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Citation

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER IN LAWS (LL.M)