BINGER, Okla. – One of the Caddo Nation’s two claimant governments has announced a gubernatorial election.

The election commission affiliated with Philip Smith’s administration recently released the candidate list for its Jan. 14, 2014, special election. Dale Butler and Anthony Cotter, who both ran for chairman during the tribe’s 2013 election, have both filed for the office. Inauguration is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2014.

Since mid September, both Brenda Shemayme Edwards and Smith maintain to be the tribe’s legitimate chairman. Edwards was re-elected to a second four-year term as chairwoman in August and within three weeks of taking the oath of office, was the subject of a recall petition filed by Cotter, arguing she had violated the tribe’s constitution by not convening a “legitimate Tribal Council meeting” with enough members present for quorum in more than a year.

The tribe’s constitution requires a recall petition to have signatures from at least 50 Caddo citizens who are registered to vote. According to an Aug. 29 letter from the tribe’s secretary, Wildena Moffer, not enough petition signatures could be confirmed as valid to certify the petition, but the recall vote went forward on Sept. 7. The Smith faction no longer recognizes Moffer as the tribe’s secretary.

In the event of the chairman position opening up with more than one year left in the term, a special election is supposed to be scheduled within 60 days of the vacancy, prompting the announcement.            

Smith and his supporters currently have access to the tribe’s complex, but not the finances, tribal tag office or the tribe’s password-protected computer server. The locks at the facility have been changed.

The Smith administration has a potluck membership meeting scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the tribe’s cultural center. At least 20 Caddo citizens – excluding business committee members – must attend in order to establish quorum.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on whether the federal government will recognize the election results.