I don’t get what you are claiming. In nullsec, our elite PvPing friend there Australian Excellence, wouldn’t have to deal with the faction police or CONCORD and could just roll up and shoot someone. How is that elite at all? It’s pretty much easy-mode PvP with all the challenges of highsec turned off - no ship loss, not NPCs chasing you, no DPS race. Highsec, and all its nuance, is the end game for elite PvP.
As for Citadels, the word on the street is that CODE. is using them everywhere in highsec to stage out of. I am pretty sure it isn’t lack of “brain power” to run a Citadel that is keep elite PvPers like CODE. in highsec. Maybe it has more something to do with their full name - The New Order of Highsec?