Navajo leader calls for resignation of tribal vice president amid political upheaval

The president of one of the largest Native American tribes in the United States announced Tuesday that he has removed his vice president’s responsibilities, saying she no longer represents his administration and should consider resigning from the highest office in the Navajo Nation to ever be held by a woman. .

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren made this announcement during a press conference broadcast on social networks. The tribe has been mired in political upheaval since April, when Navajo Vice President Richelle Montoya publicly exposed allegations of bullying and sexual harassment within the administration.

An independent investigation into Montoya’s claims was launched while other opponents of Nygren began collecting signatures from voters across the reservation – which spans part of the territory. ArizonaNew Mexico and Utah – part of an effort to recall the president.

Nygren took aim at the recall effort and laid out his reasons for ending Montoya’s rule during the news conference. He accused his critics of failing to focus on issues affecting Navajo families, such as housing and employment needs as well as access to clean water, electricity and other basic services.

“We will not be hindered or delayed by selfish power hunters who do not want to be held accountable for their actions and care more about their own advancement than the well-being of the Navajo people,” Nygren said.

In a memo sent to Montoya on Tuesday, Nygren said his decision to “do nothing productive must have consequences.”

Montoya was preparing a response to the president’s announcement Tuesday afternoon. In July, she sent her own six-page memo to Nygren, accusing him of deviating from their collective vision and “betraying the trust of the people who voted for us as equals.” She said her ideas and recommendations were no longer sought after the inauguration and she was removed from critical communications and planning.

She also said in the memo that the president’s actions had exacerbated the divide but that she continued to work on behalf of the Navajo people despite the lack of support.

A staunch Nygren supporter during his campaign in 2022Montoya took to social media in April and reported that she was bullied and sexually harassed during an August 2023 meeting at the president’s office.

Buu Nygren and Richelle Montoya

Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch confirmed last week that the investigation into Montoya’s allegations was ongoing. Branch acknowledged her frustration that the process was not yet complete, but stressed that numerous interviews were required as well as review of what she described as significant documentation.

Montoya made history in 2023 when she took office alongside Nygren. At the time, she honored the women of the Navajo Nation Council and matriarchal society while encouraging tribal members to speak the Navajo language and always think of the seven generations ahead.

“For the next four years, I will give you my best,” she told the crowd as the two men took the oath of office at a gathering at Fort Defiance, Arizona.

Nygren accused Montoya of failing to make progress on the priorities he set for her, saying she refused requests to submit schedules and daily reports and instead made travel requests that did not align with priorities of administration.

“Everyone in my administration is being held accountable, including myself. vice-president is no exception,” he said.

Nygren said Montoya’s decision in September to sign the recall petition against him was “his announcement to the Navajo people of his formal break with this administration.”

Among the organizers of the recall effort is Debbie Nez-Manuel, who was fired earlier this year from her position as director of the tribe’s human resources department. Nez-Manuel disputed Nygren’s accusations that she intimidated employees and told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she followed the law and that the employees’ complaints followed actions by staff.

Nez-Manuel, a well-known Democratic Party organizer, said Nygren had failed to meet voters’ expectations and suggested he had not given the vice president the tools needed to succeed. She said many of those who signed the recall petition expressed concerns that Navajo elders do not trust the younger generation to serve as leaders.

“He needs to resign, and that will balance what’s going on,” Nez-Manuel said.

Nygren said his administration has been successful in meeting the needs of Navajos, pointing to the connection of more homes to water and electricity services and the recent negotiation of Historic water rights regulations.