Abstract
It is no doubt that modern democratic systems are built on the doctrine of separation of powers, which is complemented by the theory of checks and balances but the problem has always been its practicability especially in Nigeria. This paper therefore in its main thrust examines the thorny issues in separation of powers in Nigeria and the implications for democratic consolidation. The theoretical foundation was based on balance theory propounded Fritz Heider in 1946 which is relevant to this subject matter as it
suggests that balance of power will make dominance in politics among various arms of government impossible. Content Analytical Approach was used in methodology as data was generated through secondary sources. The data presentation and analysis on the subject matter reveals among others that there are some sections of the 1999 workability of separation of powers in Nigeria difficult especially in the vexed Executive-Legislature relations where the chief executives performs some legislative functions and on the other hand of organ of government permitted by the constitution to appoint judges. The implication would be the resolving of adherence political party loyalty in tacking national issues. Though there are merits and demerits of separation of power as highlighted here, it was recommended among others for a review of the 1999 constitution to strike a balance between the three organs of government to help caution the intimidations from the executive to other arms of government.