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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Abuse of powers of impeachment in Nigeria
Author:Lawan, MammanISNI
Year:2010
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies (ISSN 0022-278X)
Volume:48
Issue:2
Pages:311-338
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:constitutional law
separation of powers
executive power
impeachment
federalism
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/40864719
Abstract:The powers of impeachment provided under the Nigerian constitution provide a means of checking the excesses of certain executive officers who enjoy the privilege of constitutional immunity against civil or criminal proceedings while they remain in office. Instead of being invoked in appropriate circumstances, however, this article shows that these powers have been abused. It examines five cases of impeachment at the state level during the Obasanjo administration and shows how constitutional provisions were flagrantly breached. It provides evidence that the federal government was complicit in such cases, even though under the federal structure by which Nigeria operates, impeachment at the state level is exclusively a state business. It argues that the abuses are a symptom of imbalance of power between the executive and the legislature as well as evidence of the limits of constitutionalism in the face of politics. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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