The judiciary and political change in Africa: Developing transitional jurisprudence in Nigeria.
Authors
Yusuf, Hakeem O.Affiliation
Queen's University BelfastIssue Date
2009-10-08
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Show full item recordAbstract
At a time of increased evaluations of law, human rights, and the rise of judicial power all over the globe, the work of most African judiciaries and the principles of the jurisprudence they espouse in promoting social justice remain an unlikely focus of comparative legal scholarship. This ought not to be so in view of the considerable activities of the courts on the continent in the dawn of the third wave of democratization. This article explores the work of the Nigerian Supreme Court in the political transition to democracy since 1999. Utilizing insights from the work of Ruti Teitel, it attempts to outline some of the major constitutional and extraconstitutional principles adopted by the Court in mediating intergovernmental contestations in the turbulent transition away from almost three decades of authoritarian military rule. It emerges that the task of fostering social transformation through the “weakest” branch seriously tasks the institutional integrity of the judiciary.Citation
Yusuf, H.O. (2009) 'The judiciary and political change in Africa: Developing transitional jurisprudence in Nigeria', International journal of constitutional law, 7(4), pp.654-682. doi: 10.1093/icon/mop027.Publisher
Oxford University PressJournal
International Journal of Constitutional LawDOI
10.1093/icon/mop027Additional Links
https://academic.oup.com/icon/article/7/4/654/733733Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1474-2640ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1093/icon/mop027