Law, Politics and Society in Nigeria : A Tripartite of Elite Conspiracy

This paper is an examination of Nigerian elites in context of the interplay of politics, law and the society. Discourse on the Nigerian society has been subsumed on the legacy of colonialism; military in politics and ethnic chauvinism which has given birth to elites fellowship against national interests. While these academic debates have rested on the corridor of corruption and underdevelopment of the country leading to policy adaptation, yet cases of elites' conspiracy against the organic law to undermine the general-will has persisted in the polity. Hence, this paper unravelled the whole process and suggested a path for a healthy politics. Secondary data were used in the course of this investigation and information were content analysed through theme. This was supported by the notions of classical scholars of elite theory Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michel. The investigation revealed that the Nigerian elites have been motivated on the grounds of personal desires; and the law (constitution) has been used to strengthen their ascendency in the polity. It further identified that the Nigerian society and law emanated from precolonial; colonial and military decrees; and which has created a need for convocation of genuine sovereign national conference of all elites in the existence groups in the country.