President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to a bill granting autonomy to State Houses of Assembly and Judiciary.With this development, the amounts standing to the credit of the judiciary would be paid directly to the judiciary of the respective states, and no more through their governors.
Same applies to the amounts standing to the credit of the Houses of Assembly of the respective states.
According to Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, (Senate) Ita Enang, the objectives is to create a level playing ground for dispensation of justice.
“I just want to inform you that His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari today assented to the Constitution Fourth Alteration Bill which grants financial autonomy and independence to the Houses of Assembly of the respective states.
“This also applies to the Judiciary of the respective states.
“It grants full autonomy now to the judiciary at the state level and the Houses of Assembly at the state level.
“There is another of the Act which has come into force today its Constitution amended number 21 which relates to the determination of pre-election matters.
“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 and do not pend thereafter the relevant sections of the Constitution had also been amended by this Act, therefore amending the Constitution.
“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 succeed that President and where a deputy governor succeeds a governor, he can no more contest for that office more than once more.
“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 now an act which gives the Independent National Electoral Commission 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 occuring. 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.
“This allows the State Houses of Assembly to operate like the National Assembly does because the National Assembly does not get it from the executive”
