With the signing into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, of the Constitution Fourth Alteration Bill, State judiciary is now to enjoy financial autonomy.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters, Senator Ita Enang, told news men today that with the signing into law by the President, the amounts standing to the credit of the judiciary are now to be paid directly to the judiciary of the states, “no more through the governors and no more from the governors.”
He said also that 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 states for the benefit of the legislators and the management of the States Houses of Assembly.
“This grants full autonomy now to the judiciary at the state level and the Houses of Assembly at the state level.”
Senator Ita Enang said that President Buhari also signed the Constitution amended number 21 which relates to the determination of pre election matters, adding that it has reduced the date and time of determining pre election matters to ensure that pre election matters in Court do not get into the time of the elections.
“The other one is Act or Bill number 16 which is now an act and the intent of that act is to ensure that where a Vice President succeeds President and where a deputy governor succeeds a governor, he can no more contest for that office more than once more. And the fact is that having taken the oat as President once, and you can only contest for once again and no more. That is the intent of this amendment.
“The other amendment is Bill number 9 which is now an act that gives the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sufficient time to conduct bye elections. It has increased the number from seven to 21 days and generally widened the latitude of the Independent National Electoral Commission to handle election matters upon vacancy occurring.
“Therefore these four bills adding to the Not Too Young To Run Act have now been assented by Mr. President and have now become laws. Then the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended are hereby further amended by the assent of Mr. President to these bills today.” [myad]
