The age qualifications of members of the Senate and House of Representatives under the 1979 constitution were

Answer Details

Under the 1979 Nigerian Constitution, the minimum age qualifications for members of the Senate and the House of Representatives were 30 and 21 years respectively.

The 1979 Constitution established a bicameral legislature (the National Assembly) consisting of the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). To be eligible for election to the Senate, a person had to be at least 30 years old. To be eligible for election to the House of Representatives, a person had to be at least 21 years old.

The age difference reflects the traditional view that the Senate, as the upper chamber, requires greater maturity and experience from its members. This pattern is common in bicameral legislatures around the world - for example, the United States also sets a higher age requirement for senators (30 years) than for members of the House of Representatives (25 years).

The other options present incorrect pairings. "35 and 30 years" overstates both requirements. "30 and 35 years" reverses the expected order (the Senate requires the higher age, not the House of Representatives). "21 and 30 years respectively" also reverses the correct order.