Over the years scholars have researched this concept and came to an
understanding that democracy is inextricable from communication.
Communication enhances democracy, facilitates interaction, inclusiveness
and participation engendering representative democracy but this is not
the case with Kaduna in particular. Therefore, this study examines the
nature of the relationship between the parliament and constituents of
the Kaduna State's House of Assembly. It studies the communication
pattern between members of parliament and their constituents and
attempts to show how the concerns and voice of the people are
articulated side-by-side the accountability mechanisms between the
people and their representatives. This research is based on the
normative theory of participatory development communication known as the
multiplicity paradigm. The study was a survey research method that made
use of both quantitative and qualitative instruments namely the
questionnaire and in-depth interviews techniques. The descriptive method
was employed in analyzing data in this study for easy comprehension. In
analyzing the data, SPSS version 20 was used. A theoretical mean of 3.0
was taken as a criterion to judge the mean for the items in the
structured questionnaire having five Likert format. From the analyses of
the data and information, the study found that there are participatory
communication mechanisms that could be used to enhance participatory
legislation. However, the challenge to this has been largely the
exclusion of the people from this process of participation thereby
rendering the mechanism ineffective. The study recommended that, there
should an increase of inclusion and access to existing participatory
communication channels in the Assembly like constituency meetings,
including other participatory communication channels like the
traditional communication channels of folklores, dances etc. This in
turn would not only legitimize the legislative process, it engenders
voice and accountability but also lead to sustainable democratic
development in the long run. Thus, the study advanced the use of
communication model which stirs and stimulates representative
participation in the legislative process and improves the inclusiveness
of the people's voices in the process and holds representatives
accountable.