executive dominance from the military rule one party states guides the executive in their relations with the legislature. Attempt to assert their position as an autonomous institution often degenerates into conflicts, policy gridlock, party switching, political victimization of various sorts and above all subordination of the legislature by the executive through the instrumentalities of political parties. Party incentives and sanctions for or against loyal and disloyal party members appears to be central to the control of the legislature by the executive in emerging democracies. The rampant nature of corruption which gives the executive unlimited access to state resources also limit the powers and influence of legislatures and increase thus far the powers of the executive over parties and legislatures. Powers and Functions of the State Legislature and Executive: Evidence from 1999 Constitution of Nigeria Across modern democratic societies, legislatures perform basically three conventional functions of representation, law-making and oversight responsibilities. The Nigerian National Legislature is no exception. The 1999 Constitution has provided the legislature in different sections, the powers to perform these functions at both the central and state levels. In the context of representation for instance, the Constitution provided for delineation of constituencies in different groups of people are represented on the basis of their population size, state of origin or `in the case of state legislatures the number seats a state has in the House of Representatives. Section 91 of the Constitution states that: Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, A of Assembly of a State shall consist of three or four times the number of seats which that state has in the House of Representatives, divided in a to reflect, as far as possible, nearly equal population. Provided that a House of Assembly of a State shall consist of not less than twenty four and not more than forty members. Therefore, based on the State Assembly constituencies created by the constitution, people vote to elect their representatives to the National Assembly. The elected Representatives are required to interact with the electorate and as much as possible reflect the interests of their constituents in their general conduct and activities. It is against this backdrop that Esebagbon (2005) argues that:
executive dominance from the military rule one party states guides the executive in their relations with the legislature. Attempt to assert their position as an autonomous institution often degenerates into conflicts, policy gridlock, party switching, political victimization of various sorts and above all subordination of the legislature by the executive through the instrumentalities of political parties. Party incentives and sanctions for or against loyal and disloyal party members appears to be central to the control of the legislature by the executive in emerging democracies. The rampant nature of corruption which gives the executive unlimited access to state resources also limit the powers and influence of legislatures and increase thus far the powers of the executive over parties and legislatures. Powers and Functions of the State Legislature and Executive: Evidence from 1999 Constitution of Nigeria Across modern democratic societies, legislatures perform basically three conventional functions of representation, law-making and oversight responsibilities. The Nigerian National Legislature is no exception. The 1999 Constitution has provided the legislature in different sections, the powers to perform these functions at both the central and state levels. In the context of representation for instance, the Constitution provided for delineation of constituencies in different groups of people are represented on the basis of their population size, state of origin or `in the case of state legislatures the number seats a state has in the House of Representatives. Section 91 of the Constitution states that: Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, A of Assembly of a State shall consist of three or four times the number of seats which that state has in the House of Representatives, divided in a to reflect, as far as possible, nearly equal population. Provided that a House of Assembly of a State shall consist of not less than twenty four and not more than forty members. Therefore, based on the State Assembly constituencies created by the constitution, people vote to elect their representatives to the National Assembly. The elected Representatives are required to interact with the electorate and as much as possible reflect the interests of their constituents in their general conduct and activities. It is against this backdrop that Esebagbon (2005) argues that:
Yahaya-Baba-Executive-Dominance.1docx.docx