Akpabio Threatens to Sue National Assembly Renovation Contractor

By Reporter

Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has threatened to institute legal action against the contractor responsible for renovating the National Assembly complex over persistent technical faults affecting microphones in both chambers.

Akpabio made the threat during Wednesday’s plenary after several senators encountered difficulties with malfunctioning microphones while making contributions to debates.

Expressing frustration over the recurring problem, the Senate President described the situation as an embarrassment to both the National Assembly and the country, noting that the technical failures had persisted despite the recent renovation of the complex.

“Distinguished colleagues, I hope you are taking note of the fact that our microphones are not working well. You are taking note of it because I intend to take action,” Akpabio said.

He recalled a similar incident in the House of Representatives during the opening of National Assembly Week, where he represented the Senate.

“I was in the House of Representatives yesterday to represent you at the opening of the National Assembly Week and, in the course of it, the Speaker and I were thoroughly embarrassed. The same contractor that handled the renovation of the House of Representatives handled this one,” he said.

Akpabio warned that the National Assembly could pursue legal action if the contractor failed to rectify the defects.

“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,” he added.

The Senate President urged lawmakers to take note of the repeated technical failures, stressing that any legal action against the contractor would be justified by the persistent malfunctioning of the microphone system during plenary sessions.