“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, or the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” -Charles Darwin

Like I was saying before the rude interruption of production and space constraints, my analysis of the Anambra situation has nothing to do with place or circumstance of birth. It is a question of democracy without democrats (apology to Francis Fukuyama). It's about political morality, virtue and propriety. It's about  our sordid electoral past and seeking a redeeming feature to 'cash and carry' democracy. This day last week, papers were awash with news of allegation of N35m bribe offered each Anambra PDP aspirant to keep quiet and allow Soludo, which he denied.

I am a Nigerian born of Yoruba parentage. When the power elite strikes, selfishness is at the heart of their subjective preferences, which is reflected in public policies that affect you and I. Why would I be an inveterate Obasanjo man and not a supporter of Alex Ekweme? I am convinced he's a more decent and clearer-headed person to lead Nigeria after June 12. By whatever political algebra and supported by the powers-that-be in 1999, he defeated Ekweme in the primaries and Olu Falae in the main election. No matter how you feel, the rest, as they say is history. He couldn't even win his ward then. So what balderdash is Ngene talking?

I know my people very well and their sense of follow follow is limited. That gave birth to the wetie and wild, wild West he alluded to. Falae could have kept quiet and not to go to court. Afterall, Umaru Shinkafi stepped down and allowed Falae from the weaker party, Alliance for Democracy to fly the coalition flag in 1999, for political expediency.

No matter what you say, think or feel about the Yoruba race, Obafemi Awolowo and Obasanjo's school mate and friend, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola stood head and shoulder high in the political history of this country. Just like Michael Okpara and Nnamdi Azikwe, as well as Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello and Aminu Kano. They are revered for their innate goodness and selflessness, not because they had occupied State Houses. We should grow beyond provincialism, sir.

Blame Obasanjo for his errors, not the Yoruba race. I wrote about PDP as a national party, not as an Anambra phenomenon. Obasanjo punished Yorubas in equal proportions for their disdain for his style; and in collaboration with enemies of Nigeria, chastised Yoruba  with infrastructural decay and disempowerment, because he is inherently a nemesis.

Obasanjo farm clocked 30 last week and his guests squeaked at the state of Ota road. That is the gateway  to Nigeria and Ota is a major nerve centre of the nation's economy, in terms of GDP and industrialization. So it's not about individuals or their places of birth, but thier places in history. Nobody is exculpating Obasanjo for his indiscretion and mismanagement. Should we continue to thread that path of perdition?

Does Ngene want to promote all the antecedents of Obasanjo to the centrestage of statecraft by recommending what happened between Falae and Obasanjo to the 23 aspirants that are already in court to challenge the pseudo-democratic practice that midwifed PDP candidate Soludo? Does he see a panacea in a replication of the despicable wild, wild mentality of political terror machines of the days of yore in the South-West? Is his roadmap to political stability in Anambra strewn around the myriad of unresolved murders that have become hallmarks of our political peregrinations? There's no a redeeming feature in all these, and I dare say they wear no ethnic toga? I expect more from a doctor.

He should introspect to see if I made a 'harmless earthworm  of  ‘Soludo’s credible emergence’ as PDP would-be governor of Anambra an apparitious 'python' too. I know and Ngene knows that what is playing out between Awka and Abuja is not a 'harmless political activity'.  I'm only concerned that where two elephants fight, the grass must suffer. Peasants don't have jets to ferry them safely when there's pogrom. Iwu told Ekitis at their stakeholders’ meeting that he's not ordinary that he would be entrapped in violent clashes with security assistance.

Wickedness, incompetence, corruption, myopism, vile, villainy, are vices deeper than skin-length; they do not wear ethnic toga either. These are incorrigible ingredients of dare-devil architects of the Anambra scenario - a test case for the tragedy that is to come in 2011.

I taught Scenario Building at a Democratic Leadership Training Workshop, facilitated by the Norwegian Embassy and at Ota, of all places, last week.

I juxtaposed the system that threw up Gro Harlem Brundtland to the centrestage of international development as Norway's first female and youngest Prime Minister, where she empanelled a 50:50 executive council at the centre and translated that to the world stage as chair of the 1983 World Commission on Environment and Development, widely known as Brundtland Commission, when Javier Perez de Cuellar was the UN Secretary-General.

The Brundtland Commission provided the momentum for the 1992 Earth Summit/UNCED that was headed by Maurice Strong, who had been a prominent member of the Brundtland Commission. The Brundtland Commission also provided momentum for Agenda 21. Brundtland was elected Director-General of the World Health Organization in May 1998 and she excelled. Anambra-born Dora Akunyuli, Joy Emordi and Oby Ezekwesili have similar potentials as Brundtland. When would we jointly push the agenda that is not laced with ethnic, cultural, sexist colourations? I look forward to the day when Nigerians will jointly promote virtues rather than these divisive and denigrating vices. Anambra is a sad metaphor. My take is that what concerns one, concerns all. It mustn't be a Soludo or a man, fair or foul.

Concluded