At stake in this election:

• The office of Chief of State of Nigeria

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Chief of State General Abdulsalami ABUBAKAR
• Head of Government: Command in Chief of the Armed Forces General Abdulsalam ABUBAKAR
• Assembly: Nigeria has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate with 109 seats and the House of Representatives with 360 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Chief of State is elected by simple majority vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate 109 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 4-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 360 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

* 3 members are elected from each state plus one from Abuja.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Olusegun OBASANJO
  • Party: People's Democratic Party (PDP)
• Samuel Oluyemi FALAE
  • Party: Alliance for Democracy (AD) and All People's Party (APP)

Last Presidential election:

• The Last presidential election was held on June 12, 1993. On November 17, 1993, General ABACHA assumed power through a military coup.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 119,826,231 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 57,938,945 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 59,185,740 (1999)

·         Is Nigeria a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (23 April 1984)

·         Has Nigeria ratified CEDAW: Yes (13 June 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 12 (House of Representatives); 3 (Senate) following the 1999 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 152 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Nigeria a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Nigeria ratified CRPD: Yes (24 September 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 17,973,934 (est.)