Nigerian Presidential Elections in Comparative Perspective

This chapter concludes the numerous topics covered so far in this book by comparing the Nigerian presidential elections with those of other states that have a presidential system. Three key considerations are made. First, Nigeria is almost completely similar to the American political structure. Both states have a federal presidential system with many similar political features, and America is considered the epitome of federalism and presidentialism. Another system that is considered relevant and comparatively interesting in this study is the Turkish presidential system. In this regard, both Nigeria and Turkey have some historical antecedents of the presidential system as they have transitioned from parliamentarism to presidentialism. Another state chosen for comparison is South Africa in order to have a sub-regional comparison in the study as South Africa is a presidential system on the African continent and trails behind Nigeria economically and in terms of population. The focus of this section is therefore to compare the way Nigeria and the three selected states elect their presidents by examining the similarities and differences in this process.