The Ondo State representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Otito Atikase, has urged Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to accept the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly primary election.
Atikase also called on the governor to discourage any planned protest against the decision of the party’s national leadership, arguing that true political loyalty is demonstrated by how party members respond to unfavourable decisions. In a statement titled Political Loyalty: A Test of Character and Party Discipline, the NDDC commissioner said politicians must be prepared for both victory and defeat, adding that resilience and adaptability are essential for political survival.
He 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 defeat. However, Atikase alleged that since joining the APC, candidates have largely been determined by the party leadership rather than through competitive primaries.
He further claimed that Governor Aiyedatiwa single-handedly determined the composition of APC executives at the state, local government and ward levels during the party’s congresses in Ondo State. According to Atikase, despite being a federal appointee from Mahin Ward 3, he was not consulted during the formation of the ward executive but still worked to reconcile aggrieved members in the interest of party unity.
The NDDC commissioner also blamed the APC’s poor showing in the recent senatorial by-election on what he described as political exclusion and the concentration of election logistics within one political bloc. He added that he was excluded from the process that produced the APC candidate for the Ilaje Constituency II House of Assembly election but nevertheless mobilised support for the party’s candidate.
Atikase urged APC members to accept the outcome of the National Assembly primary, noting that the party’s national leadership had taken a final position on the exercise. He said the development presents a test of Aiyedatiwa’s loyalty to the party, urging the governor to place the APC above personal or sectional interests.
Source: https://guardian.ng/
