Senate President Godswill Akpabio has threatened to take legal action against the contractor responsible for the renovation of the National Assembly complex over continued technical problems affecting facilities in the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.


Akpabio made the statement during Wednesday’s plenary session in Abuja, where he expressed concern over repeated microphone failures in the Senate chamber. 

He said the situation had become embarrassing and unacceptable for the country’s highest legislative institution.

The Senate President said the leadership of the Senate had taken note of the frequent breakdown of the equipment and was prepared to pursue legal measures if the issues were not resolved.

He explained that the same contractor handled renovation work in both chambers of the National Assembly, adding that the contractor would be held responsible for ensuring the facilities function properly.

Akpabio also revealed that the Senate was keeping records of the recurring faults as part of efforts to determine the next steps against the company handling the project.

The development followed complaints from lawmakers over faulty microphones and other electronic systems in the refurbished chambers.

 The problems have continued despite the huge funds reportedly spent on the renovation of the National Assembly complex.

Since lawmakers moved back into the renovated chambers in April 2024, there have been reports of poor sound quality, malfunctioning microphones and failures involving electronic voting equipment.

The technical issues also disrupted legislative activities during the constitutional amendment process, especially during discussions on the State Police Bill, when lawmakers had to abandon electronic voting and use manual methods after the voting system failed.

The repeated breakdown of facilities has sparked concerns among some observers about the quality of work delivered during the renovation and its impact on the smooth running of legislative proceedings.