Under the 1979 Constitution of Nigeria, specific age requirements were set for those wishing to contest for seats in the National Assembly:

• Senate: A candidate was required to have attained the age of 30 years.

• House of Representatives: A candidate was required to have attained the age of 21 years.

These requirements changed in later constitutions (such as the 1999 Constitution), which raised the ages to 35 for the Senate and 30 for the House of Representatives.