The legal right to make and enforce laws is referred to as

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the term describing the legal right to make and enforce laws. The key words are "legal right."

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Power: The ability to make others do something, whether or not it is legally backed. A robber with a gun has power but no legal right.
• Legitimacy: The acceptance or popular recognition by the people that a government or ruler has the right to rule. It is about the people's acceptance, not the legal right itself.
• Authority: The legal and recognized right to make and enforce laws and to be obeyed. It is power that is backed by law or by the constitution.
• Coercion: The use of force or threats to make people comply.

Step 3: Apply to the question The question stresses the legal right to make and enforce laws. That matches the definition of authority. For example, the National Assembly in Nigeria has the authority, given by the 1999 Constitution, to make laws. A military coup plotter may have power, but initially lacks legal authority.

Step 4: Eliminate wrong options

• A. Power is not necessarily legal.
• B. Legitimacy concerns the people's acceptance, not the legal right itself.
• D. Coercion is the use of force.

Answer: C. authority

Exam tip: Remember the pair: Power = ability to force; Authority = right to rule. If you see "legal right" in a Government question, think authority. If you see "acceptance by the people," think legitimacy.