The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged Nigerians not to give up hope despite worsening economic hardship and insecurity across the country as Muslims celebrate Eid al-Kabir.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the Sallah season comes at a particularly difficult time for many citizens struggling with rising food prices, unemployment and uncertainty about the future.

The party, however, said Nigerians must continue to believe in the possibility of a better country.

“We believe deeply that beyond the hardship and frustration of this moment lies the possibility of a stronger, safer, and more prosperous nation,” the statement said.

The ADC added that Eid al-Kabir symbolises sacrifice, faith, obedience and compassion, stressing that the lessons of the season are especially important for Nigeria at this time.

According to the party, “faith is most meaningful in difficult seasons”, urging citizens not to surrender to despair despite the challenges facing the country.

The party also expressed optimism that Nigeria could still recover and achieve progress with responsible leadership and unity among citizens.

“We believe in a Nigeria where real leadership works for the people, where young people can dream again, where farmers can return safely to their farms, where businesses can grow, and where ordinary citizens can once again live with dignity and hope,” the statement added.

The ADC further called on leaders at all levels to reflect on the meaning of responsibility during the festive period, while praying for peace, healing and unity across the country.

“History has shown that nations recover when citizens refuse to stop believing in a better future,” the party stated.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ayekooto Akindele, has said the African Democratic Congress, ADC, is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s vehicle to truncate southern presidency.

Ayekooto was reacting to remarks by the Obidient Movement that Peter Obi made a wise decision decamping from ADC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.

He explained that Atiku tried to use the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to get power to return to the North but failed.

Posting on his Facebook page, Ayekooto wrote: “ObiDENTs say Obi is a wise politician by not contesting in the ADC Primary but instead ran away from the party. I disagree with them.

“The most foolish ignorance of any politician is not to know from the beginning that ADC was Atiku’s vehicle to truncate the Southern presidential term.

“It was an arrangement to return power to the North after 8 years of Buhari and 4 years of Tinubu. He had earlier used PDP but failed.

“So, Obi would have been wise if he didn’t join ADC at all. And the most foolish thing he did was to decamp from LP and he ended up in NDC. This clearly shows that Alex Otti is a sensible man and Pita is a foolish man to the core.”