4.
(1) The legislative powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be vested in a
National Assembly for the Federation, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of
Representatives.
(2) The National Assembly shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good
government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in
the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this
Constitution.
(3) The power of the National Assembly to make laws for the peace, order and good
government of the Federation with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive
Legislative List shall, save as otherwise provided in this Constitution, be to the
exclusion of the Houses of Assembly of States.
(4) In addition and without prejudice to the powers conferred by subsection (2) of this
section, the National Assembly shall have power to make laws with respect to the following
matters, that is to say:-
(a) any matter in the Concurrent Legislative List set out in the first column of Part
II of the Second Schedule to this Constitution to the extent prescribed in the second
column opposite thereto; and
(b) any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance
with the provisions of this Constitution.
(5) If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law
validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall
prevail, and that other Law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.
(6) The legislative powers of a State of the Federation shall be vested in the House of
Assembly of the State.
(7) The House of Assembly of a State shall have power to make laws for the peace, order
and good government of the State or any part thereof with respect to the following
matters, that is to say:-
(a) any matter not included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the
Second Schedule to this Constitution.
(b) any matter included in the Concurrent Legislative List set out in the first column
of Part II of the Second Schedule to this Constitution to the extent prescribed in the
second column opposite thereto; and
(c) any other matter with respect to which it is empowered to make laws in accordance
with the provisions of this Constitution.
(8) Save as otherwise provided by this Constitution, the exercise of legislative powers
by the National Assembly or by a House of Assembly shall be subject to the jurisdiction of
courts of law and of judicial tribunals established by law, and accordingly, the National
Assembly or a House of Assembly shall not enact any law, that ousts or purports to oust
the jurisdiction of a court of law or of a judicial tribunal established by law.
(9) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the National Assembly or
a House of Assembly shall not, in relation to any criminal offence whatsoever, have power
to make any law which shall have retrospective effect.
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