[1]Politics of Nigeria}} The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a bicameral legislature established under section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution and comprises a 109-member Senate and a 360-member House of Representatives. The body, modeled after the United States Congress is supposed to guarantee equal representation of the states irrespective of size in the Senate and proportional representation of population in the House. The Senate is chaired by a President of the Senate, the first of whom was the Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who stepped down from the job to become the country's first Head of State, while the House is chaired by a Speaker. At any joint session of the Assembly, the President of the Senate presides and in his absence the Speaker of the House presides. In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... Nigeria is currently divided into 36 states and 1 territory. ... Proportional representation (PR) is any election system which ensures a proportionally representative result of a democratic election, x% of votes should be represented by x% in the democratic institutions, parliament or congress. ... Nnamdi Azikiwe Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikwe, or, informally, as Zik, (November 16, 1904-May 11, 1996) was Nigerias first President. ... Flag of the President of Nigeria This page contains a list of presidents and other heads of state of Nigeria since 1963. ... The word speaker has a number of uses: In politics the Speaker is the presiding officer in many legislative bodies. ...

The Assembly has broad oversight functions and is empowered to establish committees of its members to scrutinise bills and the conduct of government officials. Since the restoration of democratic rule in 1999, the Assembly has been said to be a "learning process" that has witness the election and removal of several Presidents of the Senate, allegations of corruption, slow passage of private member bills and the creation of ineffective committees to satisfy numerous interests. A bill can be one of: in American English, paper documents used as currency (notes in British English): see Banknote. ... The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Representative democracy History of democracy Referenda Liberal democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Ideology Elections Elections by country Elections by calender Electoral systems Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

In spite of a more than 2/3 majority control of the Assembly by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), the PDP government led by Olusegun Obasanjo and the Assembly have been known more for their disagreements than for their cooperation. President Obasanjo has been accused of interference in the Assembly's affairs while the Assembly's PDP members have actively supported two impeachment attempts by opposition legislators. While the Assembly has made strong and often popular efforts to assert its authority and independence against the executive, they are still viewed generally in a negative light by the media and a majority of population. The Assembly seats for a period of at least four years after which the President is required to dissolve it and call a new Assembly into session. The Peoples Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. ... Obasanjo met with U.S. President Bush in France on June 1, 2003. ... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ...

The Senate has the unique power of impeachment of Judges and other high officials of the executive including the Federal Auditor-General and the members of the electoral and revenue commissions, the power is subject however to prior request by the President. The senate also confirms the President's nomination of senior diplomats, members of the federal cabinet, federal judicial appointments and independent federal commissions. The term, Judges, may refer to the Book of Judges in the Bible or to the office of judge. ... Audit can refer to: Telecommunication audit Financial audit Performance audit Completion of a course of study for which no assessment is completed or grade awarded; especially audit is awarded to those who have elected not to receive a letter grade for a course in which letter grades typically awarded. ... ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ...

The House and Senate must agree before any bill is passed as law, which in turn must receive the President's assent. Should the President delay or refuse assent (veto) the bill, the Assembly may pass the law by a 2/3 of both chambers and overrule the veto and the President's consent will not be required. This Assembly has not hidden its preparedness to overrule the executive where they disagree. The word veto comes from Latin and literally means I forbid. ...

The National Assembly and other main government buildings are located in the capital city of Abuja. Abuja, estimated population 1,078,700, is the capital of Nigeria in western Africa. ...

See also

• Nigeria
• Politics of Nigeria

Country name: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria conventional short form: Nigeria Data code: NI Government type: republic. ...

External links

• Nigeria Congress
  • List of Senators (2003-2007)
  • List of Representatives (2003-2007)