More than two years after lawmakers returned to chambers renovated at a reported cost of N37 billion, the National Assembly is still grappling with malfunctioning electronic voting equipment and faulty microphones, raising fresh questions about the value of the refurbishment.
Between April 2022 and April 2024, the Senate and House of Representatives vacated their chambers to allow for renovation works at the National Assembly complex.
Initially approved by former president Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, the project faced criticism for its cost before being completed in phases.
Despite the extensive rehabilitation, lawmakers have reported repeated technical failures that affect plenary proceedings.
The main concern has been the failure of the electronic voting system, forcing both chambers to resort to manual voting during the consideration of major constitutional amendments.
Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, told lawmakers on June 11 that the electronic voting system could not be used in deliberations on the state police bill.
“The electronic voting system is not working at the moment so we are going to do a head count,” Abbas said before members voted manually.
The Senate also gave up on electronic voting on June 24 after its voting machine reportedly malfunctioned while considering the same constitutional amendment.
Faulty microphones have continued to disrupt legislative proceedings beyond the voting system.
At the time of debate on the state police proposal, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu was observed making repeated efforts to restore a malfunctioning microphone before proceedings resumed.
A number of legislators have also had to change seats and use working microphones at other members’ desks during debates.
Journalists covering the plenary from the public gallery have also complained about the poor quality of the sound, saying that debates are often hard to follow because speakers can not be heard clearly.
Once lawmakers returned in 2024, concerns about the renovated chambers emerged.
Senator Ali Ndume in that year during plenary criticized the facilities, saying that the Senate chamber looked more like a conference room than a modern legislative chamber.
“There is no voting machine here. If we are to vote electronically, the facilities are not there, but we had that before,” Ndume said at the time.
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the renovation contract was awarded in the previous National Assembly under the leadership of former Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
The breakdown of the electronic voting system has also revived discussion on the parliamentary voting procedures, especially on constitutional amendments that need the support of at least two-thirds of lawmakers.
