Nigeria Insights is a work in progress. Please check back often for updates.
Political System

Political landscape

Government Structure Overview

  • Nigeria's federal government is a federal republic with a democratic system and an executive president, who is both the head of state and government​​​​.
  • The government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial​​.
  • The executive power is vested in the President, who is elected by universal suffrage and can serve no more than two four-year terms. The President is responsible for enacting the Nigerian Constitution and legislation passed by the National Assembly​​.
  • The legislative branch, the National Assembly, consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate, with powers to legislate for the peace, order, and good governance of Nigeria​​.
  • The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, high courts, and other specialized courts. The Supreme Court, presided over by the Chief Justice, is the highest court​​.

Profiles of Elected Officials

President

Bola Tinubu, elected in 2023, former Governor of Lagos State​​.

Vice President

Kashim Shettima​​.

Members of the 10th House of Representatives

A total of 358 members were elected in 2023, including 34 from the Labour Party​​. The full list can be accessed here.

Members of the 10th Senate

109 senators were elected in 2023. The full list can be found here.

Recent Election Outcomes

The 2023 Presidential election was held on February 25, 2023. Bola Tinubu won with 36.61% of the vote. The election also included elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate​​.

Nigeria's presidential election process uses a modified two-round system. To win in the first round, a candidate must receive a plurality of the national vote and over 25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory​​.