He was elected to the
Cook Islands Parliament at the
2018 Cook Islands general election. After his election, the government charted a special flight at a cost of $32,000 to collect him from the outer islands. The flight was later the subject of a private prosecution launched against Prime Minister
Henry Puna by former MP
Norman George. As an MP, Elikana chaired the select committee which decided that homosexuality should remain a criminal offence in the Cook Islands. In February 2020 he was accused of orchestrating the sacking of six public servants who belonged to the opposition
Democratic Party. Following the election of
Mark Brown as Prime Minister he was appointed Associate Minister of Justice, Finance and Economic Management, Foreign Affairs and Immigration. On 22 March 2021 he was elected Deputy Speaker, replacing
Tai Tura. He was re-elected at the
2022 Cook Islands general election. In February 2024 following the conviction of Cabinet Minister
Robert Tapaitau for corruption he was appointed to Cabinet as
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Marine Resources. His first action in the position was to travel to Suva to co-chair the
Pacific Alliance Leaders Meeting Ministerial Interim Meeting. ==References==