South west leads with Lagos recording 114 female candidates, while the North East trails with just 7 in Yobe

Key Takeaways

  • Lagos had the highest female representation in Nigeria’s 2023 elections, with 114 female candidates, more than any other state.
  • Yobe recorded the lowest, with just 7 female candidates, highlighting a wide disparity in representation across regions.
  • The South East and South South zones recorded some of the strongest numbers overall, with Imo (86) and Rivers (85) nearly matching Lagos.
  • The South West led overall in female candidate numbers, while the North East trailed, with its highest (Gombe – 42) still lower than other zones’ peaks.

This visual explores the distribution of female candidates in Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, comparing the highest and lowest represented states across each of the six geo-political zones.

Leading the chart is Lagos State in the South West, which recorded 114 female candidates, the highest in the country. This underscores the South West’s strong showing in female political participation. In contrast, Yobe State in the North East had only 7 female candidates, the lowest nationwide, pointing to a significant regional disparity.

Across all zones, the difference between the highest and lowest represented states is notable. For instance, in the South East, Imo led with 86 candidates, while Abia had just 46. Similarly, in the South South, Rivers saw 85 female candidates, far more than Bayelsa’s 27.

The North Central zone showed moderate numbers, with Benue (62) leading and the FCT (11) on the lower end. Overall, this distribution highlights how female political participation varies sharply not only across the country but even within regions.

Source:

Center for democracy and development

Period:

2023
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Local companies have consistently contributed most of Nigeria’s Company Income Tax payments since 2016
  • Local companies dominated CIT contributions in most years, accounting for over 50% of payments in 9 of 11 periods between 2015 and 2025 (Q1–Q3).
  • Foreign companies briefly closed the gap in 2023, contributing 49%, the closest they have come to matching local firms.p
  • Local companies recorded their strongest share in 2021 at 65%, marking the widest gap between local and foreign contributors.
  • “Other payments” peaked during the pandemic, rising to 17% in 2020 before dropping to 0% from 2022 onward.
Silverbird Ikeja led the region with ₦1.1bn in ticket sales and the most cinema admissions in 2025
  • Ogun has become Nigeria’s second-largest industrial centre, with major clusters in Ota, Sagamu, and Ifo.
  • Limestone mining triggered a boom in cement production and heavy industry.
  • Infrastructure-Enabled Expansion: strategic projects such as the Oyan Dam and the Agro-Cargo Airport supported industrial and demographic growth.
  • Rapid population growth, particularly from Lagos spillover, fuelled labour supply and urban development.
Silverbird Ikeja led the region with ₦1.1bn in ticket sales and the most cinema admissions in 2025
  • Nigeria has nine of the top ten highest-grossing cinemas in Anglophone West Africa.
  • Lagos hosts six of the top ten cinemas and leads the region in both revenue and admissions.
  • Silverbird Ikeja recorded the highest revenue (₦1.1 billion) and the highest admissions (217,000).
  • Cinema chains control all top ten positions, showing strong brand dominance across the region.
The South West hosts over a quarter of Nigeria’s universities, with Ogun as the core hub
  • The South West hosts 82 of Nigeria’s 309 universities (27%), the largest share nationwide.
  • Ogun State alone accounts for 24 universities, nearly one in every three institutions in the South West.
  • The South West has 18 more universities than North Central (64), the second-highest zone.
  • The gap between the highest zone (82) and the lowest zone (21) is 61 universities, underscoring the regional imbalance.
Nigeria to spend ₦873.8 bn on the 2027 general elections poll, 2.5 times the 2023 cost of ₦355.3 bn
  • The proposed 2027 election budget of ₦873.8 billion is the highest in Nigeria’s history.
  • The 2027 figure is 2.5 times higher than the ₦355.3 billion spent in 2023.
  • Election costs have increased every cycle since 1999.
  • Spending has grown from ₦32 billion in 1999 to ₦874 billion in 2027.
  • In dollar terms, the 2027 cost is estimated at about $625.9 million.
  • Nigeria has spent approximately ₦1.9 trillion—including the 2027 proposed cost—on elections since the start of the Fourth Republic.
  • Currency depreciation has influenced the dollar-equivalent fluctuations over time.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is to receive 1.1% of the 2026 sports budget
  • The NFF’s allocation of ₦2.31 billion is under 1.1% of the total sports budget.
  • The National Sports Commission HQ gets the most, with ₦203.6 billion, over 96% of the total.
  • The National Institute for Sports is to receive ₦4.12 billion, highlighting minimal federal investment in sports development.
  • Budget heavily favours administration over football development and grassroots programs.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved