Assessment Of The Impact Of The Principle Of Separation Of Power On Good Governance In Adamawa State, Nigeria (2019-2024)

Abstract

This paper assessed the principle of separation of power in Adamawa State, Nigeria and the extent to which the three (3) arms of government are independent in the Nigeria system of governance. It stressed the need for the functions of one arm of government to be kept separate from one another and none should exercise overriding influence on the other. Therefore, the affairs of government are divided into three (3) parts of spheres: The executive, the legislative and the judicial. It is pertinent to mention that the value of the principle lies with the check and balance which are essential to prevent an abuse of the enormous power vested on the rulers. The 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria part two Section 4,5 and 6 spelt out the powers of each of the three arms of government. The study adopted Structural functionalism and system theory which was propounded by Talcott Parson and David Easton respectively. Primary source of data was used in order to acquire and obtain information about the study. Questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 400 drawn using Taro Yamane formula out of which 369 were retrieved. The data collected were presented in tables and the results analysed. Chi-square was used to test the hypotheses formulated. The findings revealed that, there is relationship between good governance and strict adherence to the principle of separation of power in any sovereign state and at any level of governance, be it federal, state, or local government. The study recommended that, the 3 arms of government must be Independent without undue interference and their various functions should be carried out in accordance to the constitution of the land.