This paper examines how democracy and democratic rule had long been ingrained in the pre-colonial Yoruba political history. It establishes the evidence for indigenous democratic rule and essentially that traditional communities in pre-colonial Yoruba land offered individuals a wide space for self-expression and self-fufilment. Given the above scenario, the paper shows that elements of authoritarianism and repressive exercise of executive power were rejected, resisted and revolted against through an established constitutional means; This can be contrasted with the Nigeria Fourth Republic Democratic experiment in which the principles of separation of powers, checks and balances were jettisoned for mere balance of power between the Executive and legislative institutions, leaving

behind as mere reconciliatory organ the judiciary with little or no force of law. The paper therefore argues that the Fourth Republic kind of executive preponderant relationship with the legislature is a complete detour from the exquisite pre-colonial Yoruba checks and balance mechanism. It concludes that although there were fusion of powers in the Yoruba system, the pronouncements of the Oyo Mesi on the erring and unconstitutional actions of the Oba underscores the existence of true constitutionalism, checks and balances; thereby, making the executive arm of government responsible to the people, quite unlike the Nigeria Fourth Republic form of self-seeking combative executive-legislative relationship that alienates the populace in order to promote the self-serving interests of the ruling elites.