Nigeria: El-Rufai and a Government's Comedy of Errors

7 December 2017
opinion

The most glaring or obvious object of constitutional government is the limiting of arbitrariness. By defining and controlling the scope of official behaviour, the constitution, in systems marked by such limitation, provides, for instance, the basis for periodic election into named offices of state. This underlying prescription is founded on common consent, the need to protect diverse interests and the requirement to uphold the general welfare. Constitutional institutions are adjudged by their ability to protect diverse interests, understand diversity and advance society's interests.

A system of the division of power among officials is fashioned by the constitution. Under the principle of constitutionalism, no one is the sole judge of the legitimacy of his acts or is anyone unlimited in the exercise of power. It is thereby ensured that what a government does and how it is done will be the expression of a broader public opinion than that of the rulers' themselves. What emerges from the foregoing therefore is a government according to rules, based on discussion, co-operation and understanding.

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