A constitution is a fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed. When these principles are written down into a single document or set of legal documents, those documents may be said to embody a written constitution; if they are written down in a single comprehensive document, it is said to embody a codified constitution. A treaty which establishes an international organization is also its constitution, in that it would define how that organization is constituted. Within states, a constitution defines the principles upon which the state is based, the procedure in which laws are made and by whom. Some constitutions, especially codified constitutions, also act as limiters of state power, by establishing lines which a state's rulers cannot cross, such as fundamental rights. The constitution plays a huge role in the consolidation of democracy which is the process by which a new democracy matures, in a way that means it is unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock. The notion is contested because it is not clear that there is anything substantive that happens to new democracies that secures their continuation beyond those factors that simply make it 'more likely' that they continue as democracies. Unconsolidated democracies suffer from formalized but intermittent elections and clientelism. Nigeria is a federal system which operates a written constitution which constitutes the supreme law of the land. The country is presently governed by the 1999 constitution but recent political happenings in the country perhaps show that the country is far from being governed by any law.Nigerian constitution produces different outcome, a fact made evident by the myriad loopholes created by the constitution itself. Some loopholes or gaps in the Nigerian constitution that have affected democracy for years are; 1. Gender Disparity Gender inequality in Nigeria is influenced by different cultures and beliefs. In most parts of Nigeria, women are considered subordinate to their male counterparts, especially in Northern Nigeria. It is generally believed that women are best suited as home keepers. In the 1999 constitution, gender disparity is discernible. For instance , in section 26(2)(a)and 29(4)(b) the word women was not often used unlike gender which was largely used in the entire section pointing to the marginalization of the word women and gender equality. 2. Citizenship/Indigenship Crisis There is one phrase whose exact denotation is problematic namely: indigenous to: which was first used in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1979.The term was not properly spelt out in the 1999 constitution and it has often created problems in understanding and delineating who is an indigene and who is not beyond that what should be considered in the context of indigeneity and what should not Again, there is a lacuna on aspects of citizenship involving male foreigners married to Nigerian women and wishing to gain Nigerian citizenship .Section 26 defined a Nigerian citizen and process of citizenship by naturalization and registration, however the silence about the process of citizenship for non - Nigerian men perhaps results in challenges of marriage instability. 3. Provision on the Establishment and Composition of Local Governments: The 1999 constitution implied that “the government of every state is constitutionally empowered to make law that will provides for the establishment, structure,composition and functions of local government in their respective states that requires the state governments to approach the National Assembly for further legislation in order to make local governments created by them officially listed in the constitution. By the former clause, a state is empowered to make laws to regulate within the state in all most occasions with local government inclusive. However, provision has become a subject of contradiction hindering the state governments to create more local governments despite geometric rate of population growth in their respective states that is making the existing local governments to be incapacitated to cater for the needs of the people at the grassroots level. 4. Right to Inheritance Inheritance is simply the practice of passing on your belongings, assets and properties to your beneficiaries. Most times when inheritance matters are brought up, it tends to be quite a sensitive subject for any family. In Nigeria, when a person passes on without a Will, the assets of the deceased may be distributed using the customary laws. Alternatively, the immediate family members can apply for a letter of administration from a state high court or the ministry of justice. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic tribes and this means that the pattern of inheritance under customary law will vary according to each ethnic group. Inheritance is commonly patrilineal and sharing of assets tends to be in favor of the male child.Below we have listed the rules of inheritance (by customary laws) of some ethnic groups in Nigeria. In the 1999 constitution there is a gap in contextual application of the clause right to inheritance much of the crisis is reflective of persisted quarrels among families on the demise of its breadwinners. While the law of inheritance and succession under English law is reasonably settled, the aspect dealing with customary law is not, which breeds conflict and acrimony among heirs. What’s more, the law discriminates among beneficiaries. Some are accorded rights of inheritance and others are not. Consequently, this customary law falls under the repugnancy doctrine test and, more important, international conventions against discrimination. 5. Sexual Discrimination This is another term in the constitutional that has been poorly implemented in practical terms The right to dignity of womanhood has also been poorly internalized and implemented in the Nigerian constitution as women and their rights have been marginalized.