Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has issued a stern warning to the contractor responsible for the renovation of the National Assembly complex, threatening legal action over persistent technical faults that have plagued both chambers since lawmakers returned to the refurbished facility in April 2024. Akpabio, who spoke during plenary on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, expressed deep frustration over repeated microphone failures in the Senate chamber, describing the situation as an embarrassment to the country and warning that the Senate would take legal steps if the faults persisted.
The Senate President said he was "thoroughly embarrassed" by the state of the facilities during the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, where he and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, were publicly humiliated by malfunctioning audio systems. "Distinguished colleagues, I hope you are taking note of the fact that our microphones are not working well, because we are going to take action," Akpabio told his colleagues.
"I was at the House of Representatives yesterday to represent you at the opening of their National Assembly Week, and in the course of it, myself and the Speaker were thoroughly embarrassed," he said. "The same contractor that handled the renovation of the House of Representatives handled this one. If this continues, we have steps we can take, legally, to ensure that a good job is done because this is an embarrassment to our nation," Akpabio declared.
The Senate President disclosed that the Senate leadership was documenting the recurring technical failures as part of preparations for possible legal action against the contractor. "I hope you are taking note of it, so that when they go to social media to start complaining after we have taken action, you will know why we took the actions. We are all witnessing what is going on now," he added.
The warning comes despite the billions of naira reportedly spent on the renovation of the National Assembly complex. Premium Times had exclusively reported that the federal government awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the National Assembly complex to Visible Construction Limited for the sum of N42 billion. This is despite the fact that former President Muhammadu Buhari had approved N37 billion to renovate the National Assembly complex in 2019. The renovation lasted for about two years, during which lawmakers conducted plenary sessions in temporary chambers within the National Assembly complex.
Since lawmakers returned to the refurbished chambers in April 2024, they have continued to grapple with faulty microphones, poor audio quality, and an electronic voting system that has remained largely inoperative. The technical failures have forced both the Senate and the House of Representatives to abandon electronic voting in favour of manual procedures during deliberations on major constitutional amendment bills, including the proposed legislation on state police.
This is not the first time lawmakers have raised concerns about the quality of the renovation. On May 7, 2024, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) criticised the quality of the renovation, stating that the chamber was poorly refurbished despite the billions of naira spent on the project. Ndume's criticism, made just weeks after lawmakers moved into the refurbished chambers, set the tone for a pattern of complaints that has persisted for more than two years.
The National Assembly complex is maintained by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). The recurring technical glitches have continued to raise concerns among governance observers over transparency, efficiency, and compliance with legislative procedures. The faulty systems have disrupted legislative activities on multiple occasions, with Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu seen repeatedly attempting to restore a malfunctioning microphone before proceedings could continue. During the constitutional amendment process, particularly when voting on the State Police Bill, senators had to abandon electronic voting and count votes manually after the system failed.
The contractor responsible for the renovation had yet to respond publicly to Akpabio's warning at the time of filing this report. The Senate President's threat of legal action signals a growing frustration among lawmakers over the quality of work delivered during the renovation project, with many insisting that public funds spent on the complex should translate into facilities that meet acceptable operational standards. As Akpabio noted, the Senate is documenting every technical failure, preparing for a legal battle that could have significant implications for the contractor and for public accountability in Nigeria's largest legislative infrastructure project.
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