Global Journal of HUMAN-SOCIAL SCIENCE: F Political Science Volume 17 Issue 1 Version 1.0 Year 2017 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA) Online ISSN: 2249-460x & Print ISSN: 0975-587X A Governing Party in Disarray: Executive- Legislative Relations under APC Government By Isa Ishaq Ojibara University of Ilorin Abstract- The victory of APC at the 2015 general elections was the first time since 1999 any other political parties would have control of the federal government. What is more, the victory was total, controlling the executive with the presidency as it power base and having the majority in both chambers of the national assembly- the senate and house of representative all at the same time. Not long after the inauguration of the APC government, there appears a crack that revealed the party lacks cohesion and after all not all members are in the same page with the agenda and programmes of the party and President Muhammadu Buhari. Given the process through which the APC emerged, not many believed the party would pull through to victory in 2015; hence the lack of policy cohesion between the executive and legislature is not surprising. The internal intrigues, differences and rancour that characterized the emergence of principal leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives planted the first seed of confrontation between the party, executive and the legislature. Keywords: political party, presidentialism, national assembly, executive. GJHSS-F Classification: FOR Code: 60699 A GoverningPartyinDisarrayExecutiveLegislativeRelationsunderAPCGovernment Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: © 2017. Isa Ishaq Ojibara. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A Governing Party in Disarray: Executive- Legislative Relations under APC Government Isa Ishaq Ojibara Abstract - The victory of APC at the 2015 general elections was alignment among sectional political parties. The the first time since 1999 any other political parties would have landslide victory of the party was attributed to the control of the federal government. What is more, the victory personal approval, goodwill and overwhelming support was total, controlling the executive with the presidency as it Muhammadu Buhari enjoyed among majority of power base and having the majority in both chambers of the Nigerians. national assembly- the senate and house of representative all 2017 at the same time. Not long after the inauguration of the APC With the APC having majority in both chambers government, there appears a crack that revealed the party of National Assembly, many believe it should accelerate the implementation of the party programmes on the ear lacks cohesion and after all not all members are in the same Y page with the agenda and programmes of the party and manifesto. Not long after the inauguration of the APC President Muhammadu Buhari. Given the process through government, there appears a crack that revealed the 41 which the APC emerged, not many believed the party would party lacks cohesion and after all not all members are in pull through to victory in 2015; hence the lack of policy the same page with the agenda and programmes of the cohesion between the executive and legislature is not party and President Muhammadu Buhari. Given the surprising. The internal intrigues, differences and rancour that process through which the APC emerged, not many characterized the emergence of principal leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives planted the first seed of believed the party would pull through to victory in 2015; confrontation between the party, executive and the legislature. hence the lack of policy cohesion between the executive Keywords: political party, presidentialism, national and legislature is not surprising. assembly, executive. The internal intrigues, differences and rancour that characterized the emergence of principal leadership I. I ntroduction of the Senate and House of Representatives planted the first seed of confrontation between the party, executive he 2015 Nigeria general election s threw up an and the legislature. Even though, the president unexpected outcome, the triumph of All ) appeared to be indifferent and was ready to work with F Progressive Congress at the federal and the ( whoever emerges, leaders in the party believed the T Volume XVII Issue I Version control of substantial number of sub-national states. A presidency should have influenced the process leading new political party formed majorly by political alignment to the emergence of senate president, speaker of among regional parties in 2013 wrestled power from the representative and other principal officers of the National then ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party which had Assembly for cordial executive-legislative relations. governed the country for 16 years since the return to The emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and - democratic government. The victory of APC at the 2015 Yakubu Dogara as the senate president and speaker general elections was the first time since 1999 any other house of representative respectively defeated the party political parties would have control of the federal backed candidates; Ahmed Lawan and Femi government. What is more, the victory was total, control Gbajabimila from Lagos State. The emergence of Ike of the executive with the presidency as it power base Ekeremadu, PDP Enugu state as Deputy Senate and having the majority in both chambers of the national President in APC majority senate was a major blow to assembly- the senate and house of representative all at the party and laid the foundation for a hostile and the same time. confrontational relationship between the presidency and The All Progressive Congress hinged its the National Assembly. campaign on three major themes- the fight against corruption, defeat of boko haram and economic Global Journal of Human Social Science II. Political Party and Executive- diversification. The party presented General Muhammadu Buhari (as he then was) as the presidential Legislative Relations in Presidential candidate, his victory at the 2015 presidential poll, after System: A Theoretical Insight three previous failed attempts- 2003, 2007 and 2011, Political party is one of the most important, was possible by the campaign strategy adopted, his complex and critical institutions of democracy. Political personal integrity, anti- corruption stand as a former parties, as “makers” of democracy, have been so military ruler in 1983 to 1985 and the new political romanticized that scholars have claimed that neither Author: Just got his M.Sc {Political Science} Degree from University democracy nor democratic societies are thinkable of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. e-mail: [email protected] ©2017 Global Journals Inc. (US) A Governing Party in Disarray: Executive-Legislative Relations under APC Government without them (Omotola, 2009:612). {T}heir functions “checks and balances” became important features of are not limited to government related, such as making presidentialism. Thus, the 1979 Nigerian constitution government accountable and exercising control over combined two political architectures of presidentialism government administration; and electorate related and federalism which are considered to be highly functions such as political representation, expression of expensive, this was later retained by the 1999 people’s demand through interest articulation and constitution. The Presidential system has its root in the aggregation as well as structuring of electoral choices; American political system and may be considered as but also expand to linkage related functions, playing an America’s contribution to political organisation (Okege, intermediary and mediatory role between the 2002:138). The fusion of power in the parliamentary government and the electorate (Omotola, 2009:612, system places both legislature and executive power in Moore, 2002). The role of political party in executive- the same hands of few. There have been raging debates legislative relations has been less investigated. about which political system guarantees regime stability. It is important to note that at the very heart of Presidential regimes are considered to be prone to the success or otherwise of political party is the issue of 2017 produce institutional deadlocks (Aiyede, 2006:140). Political ideology. It has been so central to the activities According to Linz, presidentialism lacks a built-in ear of political parties across time and space. Morse mechanism to induce cooperation between the Y (1896:76) has argued that ideology, being the durable executive and legislative branches of the government convictions held in common by party members in 42 (Linz, 1993:108-26). This is because the failure of the respect to the most desirable form, institutions, spirit government does not affect the legislators' political and course of action of the state, determines the natural survival and re-election. There are two fundamental attitude of a party towards every public question. characteristics that differentiate presidential and However, as (van de Walle, 2007:62) notes, ideological parliamentary systems, first whether there is separation differences have been minor across parties in African, of origin; secondly,