Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has accused Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of being responsible for the nation’s debt profile.

Okechukwu’s accusation was contained in a statement personally signed by him and issued yesterday in Enugu. He was responding to media reports quoting Ekweremadu as raising an alarm about the rising debt profile of the country when he was confronted by newsmen during the PDP Elective National Convention held in Abuja during the weekend.

Okechukwu said: “Our debt profile is rising because of the profligacy of my brother Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) co-travellers, who squandered our patrimony raked during the oil boom era.

“I’m surprised that Ekweremadu who allegedly diverted the money meant for Enugu-Port Harcourt major highway to his village road and sundry matters, has the effrontery today to query President Muhammadu Buhari for borrowing interest free interest Suku N100 billion loan to fix Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-Onitsha major highways and similar highways projects across the federation.

“I’m not here to discuss creative and phony accounting which Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala posted to deceive our people. What I’m saying is that Buhari is borrowing to construct standard gauge railways, and other critical social and physical infrastructure.

“While the PDP government borrowed $8.3 billion for old gauge of about 1,400km Kano-Lagos, at the same time when the PDP borrowed – 2002-2005, the Chinese did Golmud-Lhasa standard gauge of higher altitude of 1,142km at $4.2 billion.

“Please, kindly tell Ekweremadu that had they constructed the $23 billion 3 Greenfield Refineries which they awarded to the Chinese on May 13, 2010, Buhari won’t be borrowing to import refined petroleum products today. They should refund us siphoned public finance.”

Efforts made to reach the special assistant to the Deputy Senate President on Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu, proved abortive as his phone numbers was not reachable.