The Structure and Workings of Nigerian Federalism

For the Supreme Court to effectively perform its role in resolving intergovernmental disputes under federalism, it is generally considered essential that the judiciary maintain

• A.Complete subordination to state governments
• B.No power to issue binding rulings
• C.Political alignment with the federal government at all times
• D.Independence and impartiality, free from undue influence by either level of government

Where both the federal and state governments may legislate on a matter listed on the Concurrent Legislative List, and their laws conflict, Nigerian constitutional practice generally holds that

• A.State law automatically overrides federal law in all cases
• B.The judiciary must draft a completely new law to resolve the conflict
• C.Federal law generally prevails over an inconsistent state law, to the extent of the inconsistency
• D.Neither law has any legal effect

By contrast, seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among states primarily based on

• A.Equal numbers regardless of population, exactly like the Senate
• B.Land area alone, regardless of population
• C.Population, so more populous states receive more House seats than less populous ones
• D.Historical colonial administrative boundaries exclusively