THE DOCTRINE OF SEPARATION OF POWERS OVER TIME AND A CASE FOR THE REVIEW OF NIGERIA’S POWER SEPARATION MODEL

Abstract

The doctrine of separation of powers is utilised as a device against despotic utilisation of government power by any person or institution. This essay discusses the doctrine’s importance, stating that its pure application is neither objective nor is it practicable. This writer discusses the doctrine’s models in several polities, the absence of a universal power separation model, the historical development of the doctrine from the mere practice of power separation to the theory of mixed government, and the doctrine itself, highlighting that the doctrine constantly aims to prevent the over-concentration of powers. This writer notes that since the doctrine’s past was morphable to develop to the present, the present should be morphable enough to assimilate other principles if the aim remains achievable. The writer concludes with the doctrine’s challenges in Nigeria, making recommendations towards its effective application in Nigeria.

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UNILAG Law Review, (2021) Volume 5 Edition 1.