NigeriaNG

Article 134 — Election: two or more Presidential candidates

Article
134
Chapter
CHAPTER V — The Legislature
Index row title
Election: two or more Presidential candidates
Source document
nigerian constitution
Provision ID
1faf3ce9-6f60-4177-81f7-7acf7de9e0bf

528 words

Verbatim text

(1) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected, where, there being only two candidates for the election - (a) he has the majority of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Updated with the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Alterations(2) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election- (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. (3) In a default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section, there shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidate shall be - (a) the candidate who scored the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and (b) one among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States, so however that where there are more than one candidate with majority of votes in the highest number of States, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election. (4) In default of a candidate duly elected under the foregoing subsections, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall within twenty-one days of the result of the election held under the said subsections, arrange for an election between the two candidates and a candidate at such election shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of President if - (a) he has a majority of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. (5) In default of a candidate duly elected under subsection (4) of this section, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall, within twenty-one days of the result of the election held under the [Section 134 (5) is altered by Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fourth Alteration No.9) Act 2017][Section 134 (4) is altered by Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fourth Alteration No.9) Act 2017] The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Updated with the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Alterationsaforesaid subsection (4), arrange for another election between the two candidates to which the subsection relates and a candidate at such election shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of President if he has a majority of the votes cast at the election.

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 134 of the Constitution of Nigeria.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER V — The Legislature”.
  • The row is titled “Election: two or more Presidential candidates”.
  • The passage runs to about 528 words.

No rights vocabulary from our fixed word list appears in this passage, so no plain-language reading is offered for it.

This is a mechanical reading aid generated from the text above by matching words in it. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer’s interpretation, and not a substitute for the provision itself.

How to cite this

Constitution of Nigeria, article 134 (“Election: two or more Presidential candidates”), Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/1faf3ce9-6f60-4177-81f7-7acf7de9e0bf (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/1faf3ce9-6f60-4177-81f7-7acf7de9e0bf

Accessed 25 October 2026.

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