Political authority is vested in the_________

1. Analyze the question The question asks where political authority (the recognized right to make and enforce binding decisions) is ultimately vested, or located, in a political system.

2. Explain the concept In Government as a subject, these terms are carefully distinguished:

• State: a politically organized community with a defined territory, population, government, and sovereignty. It is the supreme, permanent entity. Sovereignty and ultimate political authority belong to the state.
• Government: the agency or machinery through which the state's authority is exercised. Governments change, but the state continues.
• Judiciary: one arm of government that interprets the law.
• Armed forces: an instrument of coercion and defence, not the source of authority.

The classical position (Weber, Austin, and the standard Nigerian textbooks) is that the state is the supreme holder of legitimate authority and sovereignty. Government only exercises that authority on the state's behalf.

3. Step-by-step solution

• Option B (judiciary) is only one organ of government, so it cannot hold all political authority.
• Option D (armed forces) holds power through force, which is not the same as legitimate authority.
• Option C (government) is the strongest distractor. Government exercises authority, but it is only the agent of the state. Authority is vested in the state and exercised by the government.
• Option A (state) is the permanent, sovereign entity in which political authority resides.

4. Answer The correct option is A. state.

5. Exam tip Remember: "The state holds, the government uses." Sovereignty and ultimate authority belong to the state. Government is only the temporary agent that exercises them. When you see "vested in" with options including both state and government, think about which is permanent and supreme: the state.