A Comparative Analysis of the Impeachment Procedures in Nigeria and Indonesia

A Need for a Paradigm Change

  • Kalu Kingsley Anele Pusan National University, South Korea

Abstract

Although impeachment as the outcome of constitutionalism is significant in good governance, narrow political affiliations, institutional corruption, and the absence of democratic tenets among politicians hamper its proper application in Nigeria and Indonesia. The impeachment in both countries reveals a weaponization of the process for parochial gains and there is a penchant for using the process to remove elected officials for personal and political reasons. This study comparatively analyzes the impeachment procedures in Nigeria and Indonesia to suggest measures to strengthen and safeguard the procedures from abuse. The methodology deployed in this study is essentially a desk review of both primary and secondary materials. Given the comparative analysis of the commonalities and variant impeachment procedures in Nigeria and Indonesia, the application of the constitutional provisions for impeachment in both countries remains fraught with neo-patrimonialism and narrow party considerations, exacerbated by corruption, selfish interests, and ulterior motives to be in power endlessly. Moreover, wieldy impeachment provisions and weak institutional regimes propagate the abuse of impeachment. Hence, public participation in the impeachment process, amendment of the impeachment provisions, appointment of judges by independent bodies, and the prosecution of corrupt politicians and judges by effectively implementing extant anti-corruption laws are some of the steps to suppress the abuse of impeachment in Nigeria and Indonesia. While these measures are vigorously implemented, the abuse of the impeachment procedures will be repressed.


Keywords: Constitutionalism, Impeachment Procedures, Indonesia, Nigeria.

References

Abdulahi Sani, Che Talbi Md Ismail, & Aspalela A Rahman, “An Examination of the Role of Courts in Ensuring Compliance with the Constitutional Requirements for Impeachment in Nigeria” (2019) 10:1 UUM Journal of Legal Studies 2–3.

Adam A Anyebe, “An Overview of Presidential System at the Local Government Level in Nigeria” (2016) 2:1 International Journal of Political Science 1.

Adian M Firnas, The Dynamics of Politics Indonesia: Patrimonial Bureaucracy Model in Indonesia Period of Reform (2018).

Adegboyega I Ajayi, "Military Regimes and Nation Building in Nigeria 1966-1999" (2013) 5:7 African Journal of History and Culture 138-142.

Akhil R Amar, “On Impeaching Presidents” (1999) 28:2 Hofstra Law Review 307–309.

Akume T Albert, “Combating Corruption in Nigeria and the Constitutional Issues Arising: Are they Facilitators or Inhibitors?” (2016) 23:4 Journal of Financial Crime 707–708.

Alexander Thurston, “The Politics of Technocrats in Fourth Republic Nigeria” (2018) 61:1 African Studies Review 217–218.

Andrew Ellis, "The Indonesian Constitutional Transition: Conservatism or Fundamental Change?" (2002) 6 Singapore Journal of International & Comparative Law at 4–5.

Anibal Perez-Linan, “Impeachment or Backsliding? Threats to Democracy in the Twenty-first Century” (2018) 33:98 Revista Brasileira De Ciencias Socias 3.

Arthur J Goldberg, “The Question of Impeachment” (1974) 1:1 Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly 5.

Babayo Sule & Usman Sambo, “The 2019 General Election and the Politics of Inconclusive Election in Nigeria: A Review of the Affected States" (2020) 2:3 Khazanah Sosial 105-124.

Bawono Kumoro, Understanding Impeaching the President PostConstitutional Amendments (The Habibie Center, 2020).

Ben Bland, “Politics in Indonesia: Resilient Elections, Defective Democracy” (2019) Lowy Institute 1–19.

Brian Owsley, “Due Process and the Impeachment of President Donald Trump” (2020) 67 University of Illinois Law Review 80.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, Vote Buying in Indonesia: The Mechanics of Electoral Bribery (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).

Chiedozie O Okafor et al., "Democracy and Perceived Public Confidence in the Judiciary: Roles of Socio-Economy and Gender" (2020) 14:1 African Research Review 157–158.

Christian C Chukwu, Ignatius Sunday Ume, & Samuel Bambori Dibia, “The Role of Neo-patrimonialism in Elections and the Challenge of National Security in Contemporary Nigerian Society: An Appraisal” (2018) 7:6 International Journal of Development and Sustainability 1800–1814.

Craig S Lerner, “Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude": The Constitutional and Persistent – Immigration Law Doctrine” (2021) 14:1 Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 71–144.

Denny Indrayana, “Indonesian Constitutional Reform 1999-2002: An Evaluation of Constitution-making in Transition” (2009) 5:1 Asian Law Review 65–101.

Dhikru A Yagboyaju, “The Challenges of Legislative-Executive Frictions over Institutional Powers in Nigeria” in Omololu Fagbadebo & F Ruffin, eds, Perspectives on the Legislature and the Prospects of Accountability in Nigeria and South Africa: Advances in African Economic Springer Nature (Social and Political Development, 2019).

Dieter Ernst & Marcus Mietzner, eds, Reinventing Asian Populism: Jokowi’s Rise, Democracy, and Political Contestation in Indonesia (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2015).

Douglas Webber, “A Consolidated Patrimonial Democracy? Democratization in Post-Suharto Indonesia” (2006) 13:3
Democratization 396–420.

Emanuel O Akubor, “Campaigns and Electioneering: Reflecting on the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria” (2020) 49:4 Polish Political Science Yearbook 72–86.

E M Joye & K Igweike, Introduction to the 1979 Nigerian Constitution (London: Macmillan, 1982).

Emmanuel O Ojo, “The Military and the Challenge of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria: Positive Skepticism and Negative Optimism” (2014) 15:4 Journal of Military and Strategic Studies 9–37.

Eloy Garcia, Elisabetta Palici di Suni, & Martin Rogoff, Direct Democracy in Comparative Law (Eleven International Publishing, Hague, 2018).

Fagbadebo, Omololu, Impeachment in the Nigerian Presidential System: Challenges, Successes and the Way Forward (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).

Fatai A Olasupo, “Voice of Jacob Hand of Esau: Appraising the Role of Chief Executives and Party Leaders in Impeachment Processes in Nigeria” (2014) 5:1 Beijing Law Review 12.

Frank O Bowman III, “British Impeachments (1376-1787) and the Preservation of the American Constitutional Order” (2019) 46:4 Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly 749.

Geoffrey Carnell & Colin Nicholson, The Impeachment of Warren Hastings: Papers from a Bicentenary Commemoration (Edinburgh University Press, 1989).

Greg Barton, Ihsan Yilmaz, & Nicholas Morieson, “Authoritarianism, Democracy, Islamic Movements and Contestations of Islamic Religious Ideas in Indonesia” (2021) 12:641 Religions.

Greg Fealy, “Jokowi in the Covid-19 Era: Repressive Pluralism, Dynasticism and the Overbearing State” (2020) 56:3 Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies 301–323.

Hanif Fudin, “Legal Justice in Presidential Impeachment Practice between Indonesia and the United States of America” (2020) 9:3 Jurnal Hukum dan Peradilan 465–505.

Harold Crouch, “Patrimonialism and Military Rule in Indonesia” (1979) 31:4 World Politics 571–587.

Hipolitus YR Wangge, “The Military’s Role in Indonesia’s Democracy" International Institute for Asian Studies” (2019) 84 International Institute for Asian Studies The Newsletter 16.

Hotman P Sibuea, A U Hosnah, & D S Wijanarko, “The Comparisons of Indonesian and Philippine Impeachment Models in the Presidential Government System” (2022) 25:2 Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues.

Hotman P Sibuea, Asmak Ui Hosnah, & Clara L Tobing, “A Study on Authoritarian Regime in Indonesia: Perspective of the 1945 Constitution as a Democratic Constitution” (2020) 7:1 International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding 779–792.

Imo Udofa, “The Impeachment Power of the Legislature under the Nigerian and American Constitutions Compared” (2015) 2:4 International Journal of Law and Legal Jurisprudence Studies.

Isawa J Elaigwu, “Nigerian Federalism under Civilian and Military Regimes” (1988) 18 Publius: The Journal of Federalism 173–188.

Jayus Jayus, Muhammad Bahrul Ulum, & Moch Marsa Taufiqurrohman, "Examining Recall of the House Member: How Does it Impact on Eradicating Corruption in Indonesia?" (2020) 7:1 Lentera Hukum 101-116.

Jean-Luc Maurer, "Indonesia in '3D'. Development, Dictatorship and Democracy" (2021) 88 International Institute for Asian Studies The Newsletter 10.

John Hatchard, “Presidential Removal: Unzipping the Constitutional Provisions” (2000) 44:01 Journal of African Law 1.

John S Ojo & Godwin Ihemeje, “Designing E-Voting as an ‘Apparatus’ for Combating Election Rigging: A Nigerian Model” (2019) 2:3 Journal of Social and Political Sciences 582–601.

Josep M Colomer, David Banerjea, & Fernando B De Mello, “To Democracy through Anocracy” (2016) 13:1 Democracy & Society 19–25.

Keith E Whittington, “A Formidable Weapon of Faction? The Law and Politics of Impeachment” (2020) 55:2 Wake Forest Law Review 383.

Khamim M Ma’rifatulloh, “Ration Legis of the Constitutional Court Decision about Impeachment: Is it Final and Binding?” (2020) 27:2 Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum 177–186.

Kingsley O Mrabure & Ufuoma V Awhefeada, “Onnoghen’s CJN Conundrum, Exercise of the President’s Executive Powers and the Practice of Separation of Powers in Nigeria” (2020) 46:3 Commonwealth Law Bulletin, online:
.

Kris Nugroho, “Electoral Malpractice, Integrity of the Election Management Bodies: A Case of 2015 Simultaneous Elections in East Java” (2016) 81 Education and Humanities Research 145.

Kunle Awotokun, “Nigeria’s Presidentialism and the Burden of Profligacy in an Inchoate Constitutional Democracy” (2020) 11:5 Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 40.

Koichi Kawamura, Is the Indonesian President Strong or Weak? (IDE Discussion Paper No. 235, 2010).

Letitia Lawson, “The Politics of Anti-Corruption Reform in Africa” (2009) 47:1 The Journal of Modern African Studies 74.

Louis Fisher & Neal Devins, Political Dynamics of Constitutional Law, 6th edn ed (MN: West Academic Publishing St Paul, 2019).

Lucky Ayeki & Daniel Iro, Impeachment Panel under Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution: Whether A Mere Fact-Finding Panel? (Odujinrin & Adefulu, Barristers, Solicitors & Notary Public, 2020).

Mamman Lawan, “Abuse of powers of impeachment in Nigeria” (2010) 48:2 Journal of Modern African Studies 311–322.

Meidi Kosandi & Subur Wahono, “Military Reform in the Post-New Order Indonesia: A Transitional or a New Subtle Role in Indonesian Democracy” (2020) 12:2 Asian Politics & Policy 224–241.

Mithi Mukherjee, “Justice, War, and the Imperium: India and Britain in Edmund Burke’s Prosecutorial Speeches in the Impeachment Trial of Warren Hastings” (2005) 23:3 Law and History Review 628.

Muhammad R Pahlawan, “The Constitutional Court Function of the Indonesian State Concerning System for the Implementation Impeachment of the President and/or Vice President” (2020) 4:2 Jurnal Hukum Volkgeist 121.

Nadir, “The Paradigm of the General Principles of Good Governance as Examination Method of Indonesian Presidential Impeachment Based on the Perspective of Ethical Control” (2020) 7:2 Padjadjaran Journal of Law 141–157.

Nikolas Bowie, “(Response) High Crimes without Law” (2018) 132:3 Harvard Law Review Forum 62.

Nur H Sardini, “The Role of Moral Outrage on the Impeachment of Garut Regent in 2012-2013” (2018) 9:2 Journal of Social and Development Sciences 28.

Nurwita Ismail, “Impeachment in the State System” (2018) 1:1 Substantive Justice International Journal of Law 46–47.

Offor M Arinze, Eze Christopher O, & Nwaeze Oliver, “Politics of Impeachment in Nigeria; A Discourse on Causes and Implications for Democratic Consolidation” (2016) 10:1 Journal of Policy and Development Studies 51.

Ogbujah Columbus, “Power and Good Governance: Observations from Nigeria” (2016) 32:1 MELINTAS 13–18.

Olalekan W Adigun, “Vote Buying: Examining the manifestations, Motivations, and Effects of an Emerging Dimension of Electoral Rigging in Nigeria (2015-2019)” (2019) 15:11 Canadian Social Science 20-28.

Omololu Fagbadebo, “Interrogating Constitutional Requisites for Legislative Oversight in the Promotion of Accountability and Good Governance in South Africa and Nigeria” (2018) 11:1 African Studies 49–50.

Omololu Fagbadebo & Nirmala Dorasamy, “An Analysis of the Judicial Review of the Impeachment Procedures in Anambra, Oyo, and Plateau in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic” (2020) 27:48 Transylvanian Review.

Omololu Fagbadebo & Suzanne Francis, “Impeachment as an Accountability Measure in a Presidential System? Views from Nigeria” (2014) 3:2 African Journal of Governance and Development 25–126.

Osumah Oarhe, “Tonic or Toxin? The State, Neopatrimonialism, and Anticorruption Efforts in Nigeria” (2013) 28:1 The Korean Journal of Policy Studies 111–134.

Oyesola Animasaun & Howard Chitimira, “The Reliance on Lifestyle Audits for Public Officials to Curb Corruption and Tax Evasion in Nigeria” (2021) 24:Special Edition: Corporate and Financial Markets 2021 Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal 1–38.

Pasquale Pasquino, “One and Three: Separation of Powers and the Independence of the Judiciary in the Italian Constitution” in John Ferejohn, Jack N Rakove, & Jonathan Riley, eds, Constitutional Culture and Democratic Rule (Cambridge University Press, 2001).

Patrick Horst, “The Politics of Removal: The Impeachment of a President” in MT Oswald, ed, Mobilization, Representation, and Responsiveness in the American Democracy (2020).

Patrick J Campbell, “Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude: In Search of a Moral Approach to Immoral Crimes” (2014) 1:88 John’s Law Review 147–174.

Rachel Sigman & Staffen I Lindberg, "Neopatrimonialism and Democracy: An Empirical Investigation of Africa's Political Regimes" (2017) 56 V-Dem Institute (Working Paper Series).

Rene Reyes, “Constitutional Crises Compared: Impeachment, Brexit, and Executive Accountability” (2021) 35:3 Emory International Law Review 470.

Roelofs Portia, “Beyond Programmatic Versus Patrimonial Politics: Contested Conceptions of Legitimate Distribution in Nigeria” (2019) 57:3 Journal of Modern African Studies 415–436.

Rohen A Cohen, “Challenging the anocracy model: Iran’s foreign policy in Iraq as an obstacle to democracy?” (2018) 47:2 British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 1–14.

Rotimi T Suberu, “Constitutional Design and Anti-corruption Reform in Nigeria": Problems and Prospects” in Corruption and Constitutionalism in Africa: Revisiting Control Measures and Strategies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020).

Saldi Isra, Fahmi Idris, & Hilaire Tegnan, “Designing a Constitutional Presidential Democracy in Indonesia” (2020) 13:2 Journal of Politics and Law 22–23.

Solomon O Abugu & Augustine E Onyishi, “Military Dictatorship, Democratization and the Struggle for National Development in PostSuharto Indonesia: A Retrospect” (2018) 3:1 Journal of Security Studies and Global Politics 113–120.

S Somya Chhabra, The Impact of Anocracy on Terrorism: A Mixed-Method Approach (Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Political Science, University of Dublin, 2020). Stephen Azubuike, "The Court is the Last Hope of the Common Man": Here is What it Means," Stephen Legal (February 10, 2021), online:
.

Stephen M Griffin, “Presidential Impeachment in Tribal Times: The Historical Logic of Informal Constitutional Change” (2019) 51:2 Connecticut Law Review 420.

Steven D Schwinn, “A Primer on Constitutional Impeachment” (2018) 82:6 Social Education 355–356.

Steven Emanuel, Constitutional Law, 22nd ed (Aspen Publishers, 1976).

Sunday Omotuyi, “Electoral Process and Neo-patrimonialism: An Appraisal of Quality of Governance in Democratic Nigeria” (2016) 16:3 Global Journal of Human-Social Science: F Political Science.

Thomas Jipping & Hans A von Spakovsky, "The Impeachment Process: The Constitution and Historical Practice Legal Memorandum," (2019) 248 Edwin Messe III Center for Legal & Judicial Studies 3.

Tom Ginsburg, Aziz Huq, & David Landau, “The Comparative Constitutional Law of Presidential Impeachment” (2021) 88:81 The University of Chicago Law Review 84.

Ukana B Ikpa, “Patrimonialism and Military Regimes in Nigeria” (2000) 5:1 African Journal of Political Science 147.

Ulum, Muhammad Bahrul, “Indonesian Democracy and Political Parties After Twenty Years of Reformation: A Contextual Analysis” (2020) 10:1 Indonesia Law Review.

Wale Adebanwi & Ebenezer Obadare, “When Corruption Fights Back, Democracy and Elite Interest in Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption War” (2011) 49:02 The Journal of Modern African Studies.
Published
2022-04-30
How to Cite
ANELE, Kalu Kingsley. A Comparative Analysis of the Impeachment Procedures in Nigeria and Indonesia. Lentera Hukum, [S.l.], v. 9, n. 1, p. 33-74, apr. 2022. ISSN 2621-3710. Available at: <https://jurnal.unej.ac.id/index.php/ejlh/article/view/28417>. Date accessed: 23 nov. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.19184/ejlh.v9i1.28417.
Section
Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Obs.: This plugin requires at least one statistics/report plugin to be enabled. If your statistics plugins provide more than one metric then please also select a main metric on the admin's site settings page and/or on the journal manager's settings pages.