It is now history that Change has come to take its roots in Nigeria with the emphatic victory of General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the March 28 general elections. Since then, there have been alignments and realignments by the political class with quick defections akin to the speed of bullet Ben Johnson, or should I say, Usain Bolt, with many quickly dumping the sinking PDP ship to embrace the new bride, APC.
In Edo, the gale of defections saw to the jumping ship of former Governor of the State, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor; gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the 2012 election in the state, Gen Charles Airhiavbere (rtd), one-time Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, three-time member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ehioge West-Idahosa, renowned hotelier, Mr Sunny Aguebor, one-time die-hard PDP member, Mr Sunny Erengbo and Edo Noth PDP stalwart, Mr Richard Lamai among many others.
While many of the  decampees  gave  several unintelligible reasons for dumping the PDP just days after the loss of that party in the March 28 election, others have rather chosen to, while still bona fide members of the PDP, regale the world with their larger-than-life roles and their anti-PDP activities in the elections.
Among them is a renowned  pilot and business man  of Benin  extraction  also most  visible  as a politician in  Edo south.
It is amusing that lately, many different syndicated articles have been published in virtually all the newspapers praising Captain Hosa Okunbor, or Kapi, as he is known by his hangers-on and praise-singers, of his political sagacity and wizardry; of how he  “single-handedly” won Edo South for the PDP in the March 28 general elections.
There is  no doubt that Kapi played a role in the March 28 election, with the way he rolled out the war chest, dishing out mouth-watering funds through his agents in the PDP to subvert the will of the people as the peoples’ conscience and votes were allegedly bought in a cash-for-votes strategy.
Of course, Captain Hosa as a businessman had to roll out the cash in his futile bid to ensure the return of Goodluck Jonathan to to Aso Rock, knowing full well that only that would ensure the sustenance of his business patronage from Abuja and possibly avoid Buhari’s anti-corruption probe.
However, it must be pointed out that not one chieftain of the PDP in Edo State can claim to have worked hard for the votes recorded for President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 election. This is because many Edo people, like in the South-South generally, voted on the basis of ethnic affiliation. Captain Hosa knows that the slogan “he is our brother’’ became popular a few days to the election and President Jonathan would still have made a good showing without his money.
The meat of Captain’s syndicated articles is to the effect that he is Benin and he is standing in the gap for the Benins  in Abuja. He also said his new-found love is to support another Benin  man, national Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and ensure his success. Really?
All the effusive praises heaped on Captain Hosa in the write-ups are so ingenious as to obfuscate his real intentions. Now there are a few posers for him. How is Captain standing in the gap for the Benins  in Abuja? What have the Benins  gained throughout his ‘standing in the gap’ period? How many Ministerial posts or other positions has Captain attracted to the Benins ? Is Kapi just becoming aware that Chief Odigie-Oyegun, his brother, a former Governor of Edo State and a fellow Benin  man is the National Chairman of the APC? Why did he work against his brother’s interest through the deployment of resources to buy the conscience of the people in the March 28 election? How has he helped his brother, the APC National Chairman, since he was so elected last year? If he wanted to really support his brother, what role did he play in the loss of Chief Oyegun’s ward to the PDP on March 28? Is it not true that Kapi did all he could to humiliate and embarrass the APC National Chairman in the eyes of the world in the March 28 election? Is it also not true that Kapi, having realized that the tap from Abuja has been shut,  he had to find a way to warm himself into the hearts of the APC leaders to remain afloat, having realized that APC controls both the Federal and Edo State?
It is curious that Captain Hosa attributed and arrogated the marginal gain of the PDP in the March 28 election to himself alone. He forgot that others made heavy financial contributions to the election; he forgot that the PDP has never, ever, won any election in Edo state since Comrade Adams Oshiomhole became Governor in 2008. Captain’s case is akin to what Ola Rotimi called “a butterfly thinking himself a bird”, in his classic book, “The gods are not to blame”.  He thinks he is a master of the political game, whereas he and his PDP have been roundly beaten over and again in Edo State.
His hatchet writers allege that if he had wanted to go the whole hog, Kapi would have won the April 11 House of Assembly election for the PDP. Really, Captain? How would you have done that when your party is not on ground in Edo State? How would you have won a seat for the PDP in Edo South when the people do not want your party?
As a matter of fact, Captain Hosa is being economical with the truth on the April 11 election. The people of Edo South are aware of the role he played  through one of his cronies to ensure that one of his former loyalists, Hon Chris Okaeben lost his Oredo West House of Assembly election, all because Okaeben dared to severe the  umbilical cord linking them, but in spite of his efforts, the electorate did the right thing by voting for the Chris and the APC.
In his desperation to align with the APC in Abuja and continue to breathe the oxygen provided therefrom, Captain Hosa said he is standing in the gap for the Benins.  Does Captain really have the interest of the Benins  at heart or his personal  interests?
If Kapi really had the interest of the Benins  at heart, this is the time to tell the Benin   people how many industries  he has  set up anywhere in Benin land or in Edo State, or how many  students of Benin  extraction are on his scholarship.
The Benins  are tired of people like Captain Hosa who thinks  their personal business and acquisitions  are one and the same as the interest of the entire Benin  people. Captain knows that he is not the leader of the PDP in Edo South, he hardly makes any meaningful contribution to the life of the average Benin  man and  definitely,  he  is not the leader of the Benins  either in the state or in Abuja or even the diaspora, He should stop arrogating to himself what he is not.

Osatohamwen Nosakhare, PhD, public affairs commentator writes from Benin City.