The predominant influence of Northern Nigeria in the First Republic violated the federal principle of
Answer Details
In a federal system of government, power is shared between a central government and constituent units such as states or regions. Each of these units is supposed to have some level of autonomy and influence in the governance of the country.
However, in the First Republic of Nigeria, the northern region had a predominant influence over the other regions. This violated the federal principle of local autonomy, which means that each region should have been able to govern itself and make its own decisions without undue influence from other regions.
The northern region was able to exert this influence because it had a larger population than the other regions, and its political leaders were able to form alliances with leaders from other regions. This violated the federal principle of absence of marked equalities among the component units because the northern region was able to dominate the others.
The result was that the other regions felt marginalized and unable to exercise their own autonomy. This undermined effective cooperation among the constituent units and unity, which are also important federal principles. The violation of the federal principle of local autonomy was a major factor in the political instability that eventually led to the collapse of the First Republic.