Defections in Nigeria's National Assembly and its Implications for Governance
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Abstract
The Nigerian National Assembly started first as a central legislative council with a unicameral structure and later became a National Assembly under a bicameral arrangement. National Parliaments are designed to incorporate public input into governance by having each legislator represent and express the interests of specific geographical area or certain niches in society. However, recent manifestations in Nigeria revealed lawmakers now frequently defect from the platforms on which they were elected in the first place. It is against this background that this paper examines the issue of defections in Nigeria’s National Assembly. This qualitative study reviews records, documents, and historical analysis, tracing defections from the per-independence era to the Fourth Republic. Case studies and judicial interpretations were also examined as well as providing a theoretical foundation and contextualizing key concepts related to political party defections and governance in Nigeria. The paper concluded that the trend has negative implications for political process in the country and averting this requires some policy measures and attitudinal change on the part of stakeholders.
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References
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