… Says gov’s loyalty to party being tested

The Ondo State representative on board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Otito Atikase, has called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to accept the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly primary election.

While urging Aiyedatiwa to discourage any purported protest against the decision of the party’s national leadership, Atikase argued that genuine loyalty to a political party is demonstrated by how members respond to unfavorable decisions rather than favorable ones.

In a statement issued on Wednesday titled “Political Loyalty: A Test of Character and Party Discipline,” the NDDC Commissioner stressed that politicians should be prepared for both victory and defeat, noting that resilience and the ability to adapt are essential qualities for political survival.

Atikase recalled that while he was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he studied the party’s internal processes and successfully contested several primary elections without losing any.

He, however, alleged that since joining the APC, candidates have largely been determined by the party leadership rather than through competitive primaries.

Atikase further alleged that the governor single-handedly determined the composition of APC executives at the state, local government, and ward levels during the party’s congresses in the state.

He claimed that despite being a federal appointee from Mahin Ward 3, he was not consulted in the constitution of the ward executive but still worked to reconcile aggrieved members in the interest of party unity.

The NDDC commissioner also attributed the APC’s poor performance in the recent senatorial by-election to what he described as political exclusion and the concentration of election logistics in the hands of one political group.

He said he was equally excluded from the process that produced the APC candidate for the Ilaje Constituency II House of Assembly election but still mobilized support for the party’s candidate.

Atikase urged all party members to accept the outcome of the National Assembly primary, stressing that the APC’s national leadership had taken a definitive position on the exercise.

“It is expected that all of us should accept that decision in good faith, just as we have consistently accepted decisions taken at the state level,” he said.

He argued that the development presents a test of Aiyedatiwa’s commitment to the party, urging him to place the APC above personal or sectional interests.

“The governor’s political loyalty is now being tested. This is the moment for him to demonstrate that his loyalty is to the party above personal or sectional interests,” Atikase stated.