THE NIGERIA LEGISLATIVE BODY
Nigeria is the most populous country
in Africa. It is officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria which is situated between the
Sahel to the north, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic
Ocean. Nigeria borders Niger in the
north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west.
Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people with
Lagos and Abuja being the major capital cities. Due to the large and populous
nature of Nigeria, the federal republic consists of 36 states with different
capital cities and governments.
Nigeria in 1954 gained some level of self-rule from its
colonial master – the British and in 1960 got full independence to become a
federation.
The legislative body of Nigeria is bicameral which consists
of two separate chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The House of Representatives is composed of 360 members
who are directly elected to serve a 4-year term of office. Out of the total
number of members of the house, women make up 20 (5.56%).
Candidates are elected through the Single-member plurality
system (“first past the post”). In between general elections,
vacancies that arise are filled through by-elections. Nigerian citizens must be
18 years before voting and 30 years for candidates belonging to a political
party.
The Head of State, Members of the other Chamber, and
Ministers of State are incompatible.
In the 2015 House of Representatives elections, 28 parties
contested and 5 out of the number won. All Progressives Congress (APC),
People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Alliance (APGA) winning
the majority of seats respectively.
The Senate on the other hand is composed of 109 members
who are directly elected with 7 (6.48%) being women to serve a 4-year mandate.
Members of the Senate are elected through the Multi-Member
Plurality Systems. Unlike the House of Representatives, candidates must be 35
years and above before they can contest for seats in the Senate.
The contested parties in 2015 were 28, out of which 2 parties won – All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Source: https://data.ipu.org/content/nigeria?chamber_id=13562
(House of Representatives)
https://data.ipu.org/content/nigeria?chamber_id=13563
(Senate)
Official Website: https://nass.gov.ng/