“Sak”: An APC Mantra Of Victory In Adamawa State:The story so far

By Tom Garba, Yola

Sak is a Hausa word that connotes “vote all through in the same manner or symbol” when you are left with an option to make choice among many alternatives. The All Progressives
Congress (APC) borrowed the word “Sak” and fused it into their campaigns motto and it became part of their campaign melodious slogan everywhere they go, the mantra was seen to replace the motto of the party which stands for “change”.

Prior to Presidential election from North to South, West to East it is the “Sak” slogan that has been the rallying word for APC and all their members everywhere they go campaigning. The word became a two edge sword to every aspirants of the party which by mere mentioning of it symbolises Buhari’s
voting pattern which has a winning ability in respective of who you are as a candidate.

The acceptability of the word in all knocks and crannies of Adamawa state in the past elections was indeed a word that came to turn the political arithmetic of the state as the word has became people’s new hash slogan of success in
all they do or intended to do. Sak has come to be part of people’s live in Adamawa as recently discovered even Hotels, Houses, complexes are name after the Sak slogan.

“Sak”, a word to many people as a weapon used to win political battles (election) in Adamawa and Nigeria, especially the northern part of the country which led to a political revolution that displaced the ruling party with the whole power of incumbency they have. Sak automatically ushered in a new political party that chanced them (PDP) for ruling probably for another eight years to come. A victory that
caused a National celebration all over.

But to some, the winning mantra came with a serious catastrophically mighty tsunami wind that blew off and distanced better credible candidates who have good hands and brains
from winning the elections either within the APC party or outside the party. It seems to be an irony that qualified some candidates of the party that are not qualify to be qualified, a dilemma observed by some political analysts
that may lead to a poor representation of the general public and has the tendency of stunting the grow of democracy in the entire country.

The “Sak” syndrome is making many to believe that is only in APC you could find better and credible candidates or aspirants which was why the amiable and respected Amina of Adamawa central who is general known to the
people of the area that there has not been a good law maker ever produced to them like Engr. Aishatu Ahmed Modibbo BINANI but received the political blows of her life when she least expected to fail in the past presidential and senatorial elections because of the Sak
syndrome that radically blew her out from her nursing dreams of becoming a lawmaker of the red chambers in the National Assembly.

The likes of Binani are scattered all over
Nigeria whose good motives and mighty
ingenuity have quash down because of what other people considered a radical or revolutionary wind of political change that took place in Adamawa and Nigeria as a country.

The question is; Could there be this kind of change if all these candidates voted into power because of the “sak” or “change” thing do not perform to the expectations of their electorates,
or was it just an arranged thing by the political bigwigs to remove some other political giants of the country out of the politics affairs of this Nigeria because they have clash of interest that
led to their enmity in the game of politics. If it is indeed the growing strength of our democracy one will only have to wait and see the political permutations of 2019 and beyond.