Exploring the Missing Gaps in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria: A Review
George Anokwuru, Edmund Obomanu
Citation :George Anokwuru, Edmund Obomanu, Exploring the Missing Gaps in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria: A Review International Journal of Political Science ,2017;3(1):35-44.
This paper explores the missing gaps in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to demonstrate evidence of adverse implications of the identified gaps on democracy transformation in Nigeria. The paper deploys a desk review methodology which draws from various relevant case examples and sections of the constitution and provides insights on some of the salient gaps in the constitution. The paper draws from the elite conspiracy theoretical framework and suggests that the constitution has been fundamentally contradictory and poorly directed at both the social and political realities of the country, which rarely constitute a marker of democratization since Nigeria's nascent democracy in 1999. The paper proposes a constitution review to urgently redress the identified lacuna and broaden the scope of the constitution in tandem with democratic ideals.