Evidence from their recent actions and Bills enacted by the Rivers State House of Assembly

By

Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja

I am of the firm conviction that Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers ever since the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 28th February 2025, Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers are no longer of sound mind and mental capacity to perform their duties as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Therefore, their constituents should commence the process of Recall to bring them back from the Rivers State House of Assembly immediately!!!

I am willing to surrender the original copy of my Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree (awarded by the Rivers State University) if a mental health assessment of Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers reveals that they still possess the mental capacity!!!

This is a challenge that I am posing, let Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers agree on a date and we all go to the Neuro-Psychiatrist Hospital at Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and let them all be examined by a panel of three qualified mental health experts (including myself)!!!

This mental health test should be observed by at least 50% of the constituents of Amaewhule!!!

I am particularly convinced that Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers, no longer possess the mental health capacity to handle the duties of law-making as required by the Rivers State House of Assembly!!!

I am making this statement based upon the pattern of words and actions of Amawhule and the 26 law-makers ever since the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered on 28th February 2025!!!

Please readers should notice that I used the word “pattern” of words and actions, this is as opposed to any random, isolated words or actions of Amawhule and the 26 law-makers!!!

I am speaking from an informed point of view, as part of the training to qualify as a lawyer, myself and others are required to pass one year of the study of Psychology. This is a mandatory course.

The study of Psychology is important and mandatory to qualify as a lawyer because under the laws of crime, an essential element is to understand the mental health element (what is described in Latin as the “mens rea”)!!!

In other words, the lawyer is required to provide evidence that any person who committed any crime possessed the requisite mental element at the time of commission of the said crime.

In addition to the study of Psychology during my undergraduate studies, I have undertaken additional short courses in psychology sponsored by the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Nigeria and others.

Based on the foregoing, I make the assertion that after 28th February 2025, Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers no longer possess the mental health capacity required to perform the duties of law-making of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The evidence is based on both the words and actions of Amawhule and the 26 law-makers as follows:

1. Adjournment of the sitting of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an indefinite period commencing on 14th March 2025. This action is evidence of mental health instability characterised by contradiction between the previous ultimatums issued by Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers that stated that the Governor of Rivers State must submit the 2025 Appropriation Bill (budget) within 48 hours to the Rivers State House of Assembly. Contradictions between words and actions are usually symptoms of mental health challenge!!!;

2. The Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2018 and the Standing Orders of the Rivers State House of Assembly (generally regarded as the guidelines for legislators in Rivers State) does not contain the issuance (by the Speaker of the legislature) of 48 hour ultimatums against the Governor of Rivers State or members of the Executive Arm of Government. The cited laws and Regulations recommend the issuance of letters that contain cordial and diplomatic language. However, ever since after February 28th, 2025, Amaewhule has formed the habit of repeatedly issuing 48 hour ultimatums. This is not normal behaviour, he is not known to be acting in such a manner, but it became his pattern after the Supreme Court judgment. Mental health assessment can reveal that this is a symptom of an underlying mental health crisis. It provides evidence that he no longer possesses the capacity to perform his legislative duties in accordance with the manner prescribed by the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2018. Therefore, it is recommended that he be recalled and take the remainder of two years to attend to his mental health while preparing for the next election in the year 2027;

3. As evidence that Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers no longer possess the mental capacity to perform their duties in accordance with the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2018, on 14th March 2025, they enacted a new Bill named the Rivers State Legislative House (Powers, Privileges and Immunities) Bill, 2025 which they intend to use as their guidelines. This is a “watered down” version of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2018 to suit the preferences;

4. One of the symptoms of diminished mental capacity is the inability to comprehend consequences, to the contrary the person with mental health challenge is plagued by delusions that are different from reality. Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers have displayed a pattern of sticking to delusions instead of reality. In its judgment of 28th February, 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria categorically stated that the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria should not release any monthly allocations to the Rivers State Government until the Governor of Rivers State submits the 2025 budget to the Amaewhule led Rivers State House of Assembly. Any person with a sound mind or mental capacity, would generally comply with the said judgment of the Supreme Court by creating the enabling circumstance for the Governor to submit his budget so that the federal government allocations would be paid to the Rivers State Government. This would have the ripple effect of empowering the Rivers State government to then pay the salaries and allowances of Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers;

5. Another evidence that Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers no longer possess a sound mind or the mental capacity to handle situations is their Resolution to arrest the Chairman and Commissioners of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). The said Chairman and Commissioners of RSIEC in obedience to the Supreme Court judgment wrote and obtained copies of the Voter Register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and thereafter published a timetable for conduct of Local Government Area (LGA) elections!!! Instead of receiving commendation from Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers, they are now being subjected to bench warrants for their arrests. Additionally, Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers have on 14th March 2025 announced their enactment of a new Rivers State Local Government Law to invalidate the proposed Local Government Area elections that is planned by RSIEC. As evidence of their diminished mental capacity to comprehend the negative legal consequences of their actions of Amawhule are in the face of a subsisting Order of the High Court of Rivers State that directed Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers to stay action;

6. Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers recently issued a Resolution during the plenary of the Rivers State House of Assembly directing the Department of State Security Services (DSS) to investigate the age falsification allegedly committed by the Chief Judge of Rivers State. This Resolution is evidence of diminished mental capacity of Amaewhule considering that it was Amaewhule himself that moved the Motion for confirmation of the said Chief Judge of Rivers State in the year 2021 on the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Amaewhule spoke so glowingly of the said Chief Judge of Rivers State whom he described as one of his constituents with an impressive CV from his days as a magistrate till becoming Acting Chief Judge. Amaewhule does not possess the mental capacity to understand that he is now a potential accomplice in the alleged crime of age falsification by the said Chief Judge considering that at the time of confirmation of the said Chief Judge in the year 2021, Amaewhule who sponsored and supported the same Chief Judge ought to have engaged the services of the DSS to verify the claims in the CV of the said Chief Judge before he supported the confirmation on the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly; and

7. Absence of public hearing sessions and holding of consultations with constituents before the enactment of “…the Rivers State House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Bill, 2025, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Bill, 2025, and the Rivers State Local Government Bill, 2025.” Public hearing sessions and holding of consultations are SUPPOSED TO BE an integral part and mandatory feature of the legislative process of the Rivers State House of Assembly (and other legislatures within Nigeria and beyond). Holding public hearing sessions and consultations with constituents is evidence of legislators that posses sound minds and mental capacity to perform their legislative duties in accordance with laid down laws and Regulations. To the contrary, Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers have displayed evidence of narcissism, which is a form of mental health challenge that makes them to listen to only themselves before enactment of the aforesaid Bills.

Time will fail me, if I go on listing the pieces of evidence of the current mental health status of Amaewhule and the 26 law-makers!!!

The majority of Nigerians are under the impression that mental health malady is only present and restricted to those lunatics that roam about on the streets!!!

However, the threshold for mental health capacity prescribed within several legislation for public officials does not require absolute insanity, it requires just the minimum evidence that the said public officials are incapable of understanding their day to day duties as legislators as prescribed by the

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2018 and other relevant Regulations!