President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday 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 one more time.

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 to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja 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.

According to Enang, the effect of the new law, Act 16, is that having taken the oath of President or governor once, the affected person can only contest one more time and no more.

If the law had been in place, former President Goodluck Jonathan who completed the tenure of late President Umaru Yar’Adua after his death would not have qualified to contest the 2015 presidential elections having contested and won in 2011.

It is not clear yet if the law has foreclosed Jonathan’s possible re-election bid as it (the law) may be said not to have retrospective effect.

Enang said the President also signed an amendment to the constitution that grants autonomy to state judiciary and state Houses of Assembly.

The presidential aide said the implication of the new law was that funds meant for state judiciary and state Houses of Assembly would now be going directly to them and not through state governors again.

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.