BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
A major support came the way of Gen. Charles Ahiavbere Sunday after billionaire businessman Captain Hosa Okunbo dumped his famed romance with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to support the PDP candidate on the basis of projecting the Benin political agenda.

Captain Hosa who is alleged to have largely financed the ruling ACN in Edo State at a point in time, at a press conference in Benin yesterday, said his decision to back a Bini candidate was aimed at leveling up the disadvantage of the Binis in the present political configuration of the state.

In a veiled reference to his alleged friendship with Comrade Oshiomhole, the businessman said that no friendship or relationship was not worth sacrificing in the interest of his people.

“I removed my support from the ACN to the PDP because of some interests. I believe every politics is local, you have to belong to a Ward, local government, State or National and if you are good politician, you must take into account the interest of your people at the ward, local government, state and national,” Hosa said.

“When people talk of ethnicity, I don’t believe that there is anything like ethnic politics. I believe it is talking about the interest of your people. Why am I saying this?

“Edo South where I come from has close to 58 percent of the votes in the state and this was demonstrated during the last presidential election and the total votes that came from Edo South was more than the other two Senatorial zones combined”

“So, in Abuja today, we have people from Edo North (which I don’t want to mention) that are in Abuja politically; we have people from Edo Central that have some political presence in Abuja. But the zone where I came from which has more than 50 percent of the voting population of the entire state, has nobody in Abuja today or any political strength”.

He insisted that as at today, the largest patronage came from the Federal Government, adding that for that reason the Binis must re-establish a political linkage with the Federal Government.

“We need to go back to the mainstream where the interest of our people cannot only be supported by the state, but also supported by the Federal Government. I believe the state is bigger than me or anybody, but the interest of my people is bigger than friendship, is bigger than relationship, because that is where I stand”.

He thus sued for a free and fair election, that the electorate must be given the free fair to exercise their franchise to elect a governor of their choice.