Legislative turnover trends in Nigeria: Challenges and implications

Abstract

This paper examines legislative turnover trends in Nigeria from 1999 to 2023, focusing on the challenges and implications for democratic governance. It adopts a desk research methodology, which entails the analysis of existing literature, official reports, and electoral data to provide an overview of the factors that influence legislative turnover and its impact on Nigeria's legislative processes. The paper adopts the institutional and principal-agent theories to explore the structural and systemic factors that shape turnover trends, and examine the relationship between legislators and constituents and how accountability mechanisms
influence turnover respectively. It finds out that there is a persistent pattern of high legislative turnover in Nigeria's National Assembly, with significant implications for policy continuity, institutional memory, and legislative effectiveness. Key factors contributing to this trend include electoral malpractices, intra-party conflicts, and the monetization of politics, which undermine the stability and professionalism of the legislative body. The analysis underscores the detrimental effects of high legislative turnover, including the erosion of institutional knowledge, disruption of legislative initiatives, and weakened oversight functions. These challenges hinder the National Assembly's capacity to effectively represent constituents and perform its constitutional duties. As a result, the paper recommends a comprehensive electoral reform, enhanced political party structures, and capacity-building initiatives for legislators to mitigate the adverse effects of legislative turnover.