President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a constitutional amendment that stops a vice president who completes the term of a president from contesting for
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a constitutional amendment that stops a vice president who completes the term of a president from contesting for the office of the President more than once. The same is applicable to a deputy governor who completes the term of a state governor. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, disclosed this on Friday.
The term of a President or a governor can be aborted by virtue of death, resignation or removal, thereby paving the way for the Vice President or deputy governor to take over. Enang said the President also signed an amendment to the constitution that grants autonomy to state judiciary and state Houses of Assembly. According to Enang, the President also signed an amendment that reduced the duration for determining pre-election matters in courts to ensure that such matters do not get into the time of the elections and do not linger thereafter.
He added that another amendment increased the time the Independent National Electoral Commission has to conduct by-election in case of vacancy from the present seven days to 21 days. Enang said, “I just want to inform you that His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari today (Friday) assented to the Constitution Fourth Alteration Bill which grants financial authonomy and independence to the Houses of Assembly of the respective states and to the Judiciary of the respective states.
“Therefore, upon this signature, the amounts standing to the credit of the judiciary are to now be paid directly to the judiciary of those states and no more through the governors and from the governors. And then the amounts standing to the credit of the Houses of Assembly of the respective states are now to be paid directly to the Houses of Assembly of that state for the benefit of the legislators and the management of the state Houses of Assembly of that state. This grants full autonomy now to the Houses of Assembly and judiciary of states.”
