BELCOURT, N.D. (AP) – Dissatisfied members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa have submitted a petition to recall the tribe’s leadership.

The group calling itself Turtle Mountain Concerned Citizens alleges improper handling of duties, oppression and misconduct by Chairman Richard McCloud, Vice Chairman Elmer Davis and Secretary-Treasurer Patrick “PJ” Marcellais.

“I’m concerned about democracy, justice and accountability,” group member Joe Parisian told KXMC-TV. “To me, I don’t see this as anything personal against these guys. It’s just about the rule of law and what is fair and equitable for the people.”

McCloud denied the allegations and told the Minot Daily News that the citizen group didn’t follow the proper process in submitting the petition, so it will be up to the tribal court to decide whether the petition is legitimate.

If the petition is deemed valid, an election board would have to be convened to verify the signatures. If they were verified, an election would be held within a month.

“If there is an election, they could still stay in (office), depending on how the people decide,” citizen group member Dorene Bruce said. “This is not a final thing.”

One sticking point is that the election board dissolved after the last election, and as a cost-saving measure, the council voted not to replace the members until six months before the next election in November 2016. McCloud said a decision to replace the board now would have to be made by the council.

Bruce believes the council did not have authority to dissolve the election board.

“We still maintain we have that right to have the recall election,” she said.