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• Sources of a constitution include written documents, organic laws, judicial decisions, and constitutional customs/conventions.
• Written constitutions are formally and officially designated in many countries, especially those with federal political arrangements.
• Organic laws comprise laws made by Parliament, functioning as part of a country's constitution through constitutional amendment procedures.

Organic Laws

• British constitutional laws include the Magna Carta of 1215, providing for "trial by jury" and due process, Habeas Corpus of 1679, and the Bill of Rights of 1689.
• Judicial decisions and organic laws may contain ambiguous statements, requiring interpretation by the judiciary.
• In many states, legal interpretations from the judiciary are a significant source of constitutional understanding.
• Constitutional customs and conventions entail fundamental roles of government that are unwritten.

Constitution Definition

• A constitution is defined as an established body of fundamental principles that a country is governed by.
• Constitutions can be described as the total aggregate of political and institutional arrangements enabling the exercise of political powers.
• A constitution contains statements defining relations between rulers and citizens, duties of citizens, and important procedures.
• Constitutions deal with issues such as how laws are passed, when people can be detained, and who interprets laws.
• Every human organization has a constitution, such as the OAU; industrial organizations, trade unions, chambers of commerce and international bodies all have charters or constitutions.
• Individuals or groups intending to join any organization are expected to abide by its basic rules, with violations attracting specific sanctions.

Constitutional Law and Customs

• They are to be strictly obeyed just as the constitutional law.
• Constitutional customs are as binding as constitutional law.
• Cabinets must resign if they no longer command constitutional custom.

Philosophers and Principles

• The ideas of great thinkers are incorporated into the constitutions of many states.
• These include limited government, consent of the governed, religious tolerance, separation of powers, and the rule of law.

Preamble

• The preamble is a statement of intent located at the beginning of the constitution and states the authority and purpose.

Amendment Procedures

• Modern states take steps/actions to ensure proper and democratic amendment of existing laws. Special commandment procedures exist in rigid constitutions to make changes. Flexible constitutions are easier to amend. The number of votes in Parliament varies by nation.

Functions of a Constitution

• Prevents arbitrary rule by leaders.
• Protects the rights of citizens and lends legitimacy to the government.
• Establishes boundaries and goals for a state.
• Provides government stability.

Constitution Types

• Written constitutions involve a set of laws granting a state power and fundament within a single document.
• Written constitutions outline the positions and powers of the arms of government.
• Merits of written constitutions include reduced political uncertainty and clear rights and spelled out rights of government and its citizens.
• Written constitutions provide fundamental provisions and prevent arbitrary or dictatorial rule.
• Written constitutions facilitate thorough study of the fundamental or supreme law of a state.
• Demerits of written constitutions include difficulty adapting to emergencies; their amendment processes are complex and verbose in scope, therefore constitutional laws cannot all be written down.
• Rigid constitutions rely heavily on legal interpretations, thus various interpretations can cause conflicts.
• Unwritten constitutions are not contained in a single document, and appeal of legal sources originates in common law.
• The United Kindom, Italy, Israel and Ghana are countries with unwritten constitutions.
• Military rulers mostly use unwritten ones.
• Rigid constitutions require lengthy and difficult amendment procedures that are clearly stated, but referendum approval can be thorough.
• Rigid constitutions are by nature slow and difficult to prevent the emergence of a dictator.
• They ensure adequate consideration before amending fundamental laws.
• Rigid constitutions can be irrelevant in emergencies due to the time required. Too much reliance occurs on the judiciary for interpretation, making it partisan.
• Flexible constitutions do not put indulge in complex and difficult amendment procedes.

The Simple Majority Method

• The simple procedure welcomes new ideas and needs into the constitution, it can makes the constition for possible.
• Demerits include suppression of minority group opinions and the emergence of dictatorship.
• Flexible constitutions can cause political instability and create an easy way for politicians to abuse the system.

Arms of Government

• The structure and organization of government vary from one country to another. The legislature, executive, and Judiciary evolve so goals and business of government may be achieved effectively.

The Legislature

• Known as parliament, the law-making body comprises the representatives of the people elected through a party. It debates policies of the executive or initiates its own policy proposals called and signed approved bills become laws.
• There are two types of legislatures: unicameral (one legislative body) and bicameral (two).
• In Britain, the house of Lords is upper house while the House of Commons is the lower house.
• Bicanmeralism means that it must pass through two houses prior to presidential assent of a law.
• The speaker in the Lower House and President in the Upper House are Chairmen in the legislature.
• Proceedings of the legislature are published and called Hansards.
• The primary function of the legislature is lawmaking, it supervises the executive, approves budgets, and amends constitutions.
• Legislatures can remove any executive member, perform electoral functions, and control public expenditure/taxation.
• Legislatures provide forums to settle grievances, educate the public on policies, and serve as a training ground for future leaders.
• Legislators represent their constituents, ratify executive appointments, dissolve parliament, set up probes, and approve treaties.
• Bills start as proposed law discussed in parliament, signed off by head of state, and evolve to law.
• Appropriation bills originates from the executive arm and deals with estimated government revenue/expenditure.

Public Bill

• Public bills deals with matters affecting the whole or a section of the country, originating from the executive branch.
• Money bills deals with government expenses and can be budget proposals.
• Private Member's Bills are brought by a member of the legislature or parliament.

Passing A Bill in Parliament

• At first reading, the draft of a bill is presented and assigned by the clerk. The clerk notifies members of the bill, and it is printed for members to study until the second reading.
• The bill's purpose is explained to the house with debate at the second reading. An approval vote moves a bill to committee stage, if not, it is the end.
• At the committee stage, a bill goes to a committee where findings are reported and/or amendments are proposed.
• At report stage the findings and amendment are reported.
• At third reading is a thorough look at the bill with a final vote. The President then signs if passed in senate and house.

The Executive

• The Executive is responsible for policy making, and is inclusive of the Prime Minister, the President, Head of State, Governments, Ministers and Commissioners.
• The executive carries out administration with recruitment, jobs and shelter.
• The Chief Executive is the Prime Minister in parliamentary system and the President acts as the constitutional head.
• The functions of State and Government are separate in presidential government where powers are not strictly followed, and executives are separate from legislative bodies.
• In the presidential system, the president is so powerful that he combines the power and functions of Head of State and head of Government together.
• Executives can maintain law and order, intimates and defends bill before the legislature and recommends measures.
• Executives can formulate policies, implements the laws, provide welfare services, maintains relations with other countries, prepares total expenditure, and can pardon convicts.
• The Executive has power to keep the public informed, dissolve parliament, control what to be imported and exported a country, and appointing the Chief Justice of the Federation and other high ranking officials of the judiciary.

Executive Controls

• Executives are controlled through opposition parties, legislature impeachment, independent press, judicious review and removing particular ministers.
• The legislature also controls with power to approve budgets.

The Judiciary

• The judiciary means the third arm of government responsible for the interpretation of laws. It punishes offenders independent of the other two arms of government.
• The judiciary adjudicates in government disputes and safeguard of civil liberties.
• Military Leaders can remove Judges without due Process.
• Judges interpret laws, safe-guards rights, protects constitution, gives advice and participates in Tribunals.
• Judges are appointed by the executive with advice from commission and can be removed for misconduct and through due process.
• The Judges can be participated as members of tribunerals.

Independence of the Judiciary

• Judiciary Independence entails impartiality without control from government or wish influence.
• Judiciary Independence gives officials freedom to make decisions without fear or favor, giving them power and courage to check the legislature and executive functions.
• Independence ensures discharge duties unfettered, natural justice, controls without fear of being of any government, frees the freedom of the judges in handling cases, checks the abuse of power, and right for cititzens.
• Judiciary Independence occurs separated of other arms, without dismissal from executive powers, with security of office, and should has no control from executives, and should have good working conditions.
• Judges and magistrates also should not be promoted or removed by the executive.

Military Regimes

• Nigeria's first military junta began following the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état that overthrew the First Nigerian Republic, where overthrown and assassinated.
• Aguiyi-Ironsi was succeeded by General Yakubu Gowon who establishd the supreme military council.
• Mohammed was assassinated by Buka Suka attempt and then succeeded was handed.
• Babangida seized power by force under the military with the promise, but he ruled for years.
• Characteristics of a military regime is rule by force, the fixed term of office is the military and does not, there's suspestion of a constitution, there's rule decrees.
• Freedom of association under the military regiem, but separation of executice has not been.

Power

• Power is defined as making others do what you want, even when it is against their will. It requires an exercise of domination by rulers over the ruled.
• Power can included threat or use of punishment, that is for physical and non-physical loss.
• Political power comes from established authority that can command and be obeyed. Political power order, is to allocation in scare resource.
• Use of force includes or coercism from agenies of government to be exersise physical restraint.

Power sources

• Wealth means the controlll of wealth.
• Holding the formal Office or parition, and the power to give and an offical porition has decorions.
• Authority entails a content refers to a form of power.

Checks and Balances

• Checks and balances exist to combat.
• Advantages of checks and balances entails safe girding rights and prohibits dictatorship.

Unitary System Power

• A power is confentised, means only an autority.
• Autopily is approved and legitimate while the ability to enrich consul others the ability to be delegated power.
• Under a unitary system, power and be derivables.

Merit

• All reduces due governess, make ever development, proindes cunity and votes are the same.
• Demerits under a unilateral opposition and may sometimes be disallowed.
• Under Federal system is to system and consetulionelle is distrubutes.

Federal System

• Federal Government is a system, unlile when the military system and can only delerbaled and system denies power for constutional.
• Resons of federation systerm, the is heterogenives popular, lergen territory, languagen diversities and to portect miniority.
• In Parlimentary system, has reponsibities to the parliament is parted and the the Sythem recoginzises and heads of govern, but the separation of powers is not pulled right.
• The president who are dissatisfied with the polocy needs to resign from the cabinet.