The people
Registered voters directly elect the President and Vice-President ticket, Senators, and members of the House of Representatives.
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🇳🇬 Formal national power · source bounded
Who selects whom in Nigeria?
Voters directly elect the President and both chambers of the National Assembly; formal checks run through assent, confirmation, oversight, impeachment, and judicial review.
Dots are institutions · arrows are sourced powers
Federal presidential constitutional republic
Nigeria's Constitution, updated through the Fifth Alteration in 2023, separates direct presidential and legislative elections from Senate confirmation of ministers, election commissioners, and Supreme Court appointments; bicameral passage and presidential assent or veto of federal bills; National Assembly investigations and impeachment; INEC election administration; and the Supreme Court's constitutional, federal-state, and specified election jurisdiction.
Explore the whole systemHow offices are filled
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The dots
Institutions represented on this map.
Each institution below has an attached source. Being listed does not imply an unshown formal relationship.
National Assembly
The directly elected Senate and House of Representatives make federal laws, authorize expenditure, investigate administration, confirm specified nominations, and conduct the constitutional impeachment process.
President and Vice-President
The directly elected presidential ticket heads the federal executive; the President executes federal law, participates in legislation, and makes constitutionally bounded appointments.
Independent National Electoral Commission
The constitutional election-management body registers voters and organizes, undertakes, and supervises presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and State Assembly elections.
Federal Ministers and executive departments
Ministers are appointed by the President after Senate confirmation and may receive responsibility for federal departments and government business.
National Judicial Council
The constitutionally established Council recommends federal judicial nominees to the President and exercises specified judicial-policy and disciplinary functions.
Supreme Court of Nigeria
Nigeria's apex court has original federal-state jurisdiction and final appellate jurisdiction over constitutional, rights, and specified election questions.
Evidence and limits
Every line has a source. Every missing layer stays visible.
The map describes formal national relationships only. It does not measure democratic quality, legitimacy, actual compliance, or informal influence.
Official or constitutional source
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 - updated through the Fifth Alteration (2023)
National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies
- direct presidential and National Assembly elections
- executive power
- bicameral legislation and veto override
- minister and commission appointments
- legislative investigations
- presidential impeachment
- judicial appointment chain
- Supreme Court jurisdiction
INEC constitutional mandate
Independent National Electoral Commission
- constitutional establishment of INEC
- national and state election administration
- voter registration
- political-party oversight
House of Representatives - overview, functions and powers
National Assembly of Nigeria
- directly elected House membership
- federal lawmaking
- budget approval
- executive oversight
The Senate - overview, functions and powers
National Assembly of Nigeria
- directly elected Senate membership
- federal lawmaking
- impeachment
- confirmation of cabinet, judicial, diplomatic, and commission nominations
Supreme Court jurisdiction
Supreme Court of Nigeria
- apex-court status
- exclusive original federal-state jurisdiction
- constitutional and fundamental-rights appeals
- specified presidential and governorship election appeals