The Igbo people of Nigeria are known for their egalitarian traditional political system, often described as a system based on direct democracy. Unlike the hierarchical and centralised structures of the Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba, the Igbo traditionally operated a decentralised, acephalous (without a head) society where power was more evenly distributed across kinship groups, councils of elders, and other community assemblies. Decisions were often made collectively through discussion and consensus rather than by a single ruler or centralised authority.