A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC, Osita Okechukwu, has expressed doubt that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its spokesman have read the 2016 Budget estimates presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement today, he said he was at a loss as to how a budget that set out with N1.8 billion for capital expenditure targeted on critical infrastructure can be classified as reckless or deceitful.  Mr. Okechukwu pointed out that President Buhari clearly stated he would fund the capital expenditures through loans. Given President Buhari’s high global rating, Mr. Okechukwu has no doubt that President Buhari will be able to raise the loans.

“Neither PDP nor their spokesman, Olisa Metuh read the  Mr President’s budget address before dishing out their tantrum,” he stated.  “While one acknowledges criticism from the opposition, the best tradition requires that criticism should be constructive.”

Reacting to the budget address yesterday, Mr. Metuh described it as a “big fraud”.

“One is of the considered view that the PDP has not come to terms with the effect that the unbridled corruption and squandermania of former President Goodluck Jonathan did to the development of our country,” Mr. Okechukwu said.

“PDP forgot that the billions it squandered via unbridled corruption and awful leakages made it impossible for the Party to provide critical infrastructure in the last 16 years to Nigerians.  Transparency and accountability are the key to the implementation of Buhari’s budget of change.

History is a witness to what prudent administration can achieve with little resource.”??On the issue of the possibility of excessive taxation, Mr. Okechukwu said he did not harbor any such fear, describing President Buhari as “a man of the people”.

The APC Chieftain concluded that the bulk of the budget would be funded by plugging the leakages in the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.