Sub-National Intra-Executive Crisis and Good Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

In contemporary governance contexts, the performance of elected executive political leaders at the state level is typically evaluated based on their ability to fulfil key indicators of good governance. These indicators include effective and efficient service delivery, accountability, transparency, absence of corruption, adherence to the rule of law, equity, and inclusiveness, among others. Nevertheless, in Nigeria, the attainment of these indicators is often impeded by ongoing political crises between governors and their deputies. The persistent failure to achieve these benchmarks frequently results in poor governance outcomes. While existing scholarship has attributed bad governance to factors such as corruption, weak political will, mediocrity, state fragility, and the lack of transparency among state executive leaders, there remains a dearth of research examining how political disputes between executive governors and their deputies contribute to the erosion of good governance in Nigeria. Utilising secondary data sources and grounded in principal-agent theory, this article investigates the underlying causes of political crises between executive governors and their deputies, assessing the extent to which these conflicts undermine good governance at the state level in Nigeria. It advances knowledge about intra-executive crises in Nigeria and offers informed recommendations for mitigating such conflicts to promote good governance