In a handwritten order issued late Monday morning, Judge Ronald McGee with the Southern Plains’ Court of Indian Offenses declared all elected positions within the Caddo Nation vacant.

ANADARKO, Okla. – An order from the Court of Indian Offenses is effectively making one tribe’s governments start all over again.

In a handwritten order issued late Monday morning, Judge Ronald McGee with the Southern Plains’ Court of Indian Offenses declared all elected positions within the Caddo Nation vacant and for the tribe to conduct a special election within 60 days or  “as soon thereafter as possible.”

The tribe has been dealing with an extended leadership schism for a year, with one faction based out of the tribe’s complex in Binger, Okla., and the other, led by Brenda Edwards, working off-site. Edwards was re-elected chairwoman in July 2013 but was subject to a contested recall petition within weeks of taking office, prompting the division.

The election is to be under the supervision of Jason Glidewell, who was appointed special master of the tribe’s finances earlier this year by the court. However, aside from instructions to request a court hearing to certify the results, the order is silent on who will carry out the election other than Glidewell

Each faction is allowed one representative to monitor the vote tally. The two sides are also to turn over their lists of registered voters in order to facilitate voter participation. Under the terms of McGee’s order, all tribal members may run for office if they are otherwise eligible.

The decision comes after a series of hearings on an application for a permanent application that would have barred Edwards from conducting any business on the tribe’s behalf. In August, a judge with the federal court in Oklahoma City denied a motion from Edwards to dismiss the pending litigation in the CFR court.

Headquartered in Binger, Okla., the Caddo Nation has about 5,500 enrolled citizens.