Daniel Herrera Carbajal
ICT
Tensions continue to escalate between Navajo President Buu Nygren and government officials as multiple chapters call for the Navajo Nation Council to remove Nygren or put him on administrative leave without pay.
The votes come as a pending investigation looks into alleged financial misconduct and “recent behavior unbecoming of a Navajo leader.”
Nygren said in a press release he will not resign.
“You entrusted me with this responsibility, and I will honor that trust. I will not resign, and I will stand firm against any effort to remove me,” Nygren said. “Your vote is sacred, and I will continue to defend the will of the Navajo people.”
The Navajo Nation has 110 Chapter houses. A chapter is the most local level of government on the Navajo Nation, similar to a county in other states. Chapters act as community hubs for local governance and voter registration with the larger Navajo Nation government.
Earlier in October Nygren attempted to remove Navajo Nation Controller Sean McCabe from his position and install an “illegal controller.”
The Office of the Controller manages the Nation’s financial operations, including budgeting, payroll, and accounts payable; while overseeing financial reporting, internal controls, and compliance.
According to a press release from the Navajo Nation Council, McCabe’s removal was done in retaliation to the Office of the Controller providing documents of reallocation of $250,000 from missing persons services to cover Nygren’s travel and operational expenses.
During the FY2026 Comprehensive Budget process, the 25th Navajo Nation Council approved $250,000 for the “4 Corners K-9 Search and Rescue” to support search and rescue missions for missing persons on the Navajo Nation.
On Sept. 15, Nygren signed the funding into law and stated that he was “pleased” to approve the funding to support missing persons searches.
Western Navajo Agency Council President Dellard Curley, Navajo, said this caused many chapters to vote on a resolution calling for his removal.
The resolutions will then be brought before the Navajo Nation Council who have the authority to remove a president from office.
“Within Western agency, we have 18 chapters. And so, a lot of them provided the resolutions, I think we had about at least 6 or 7,” Curley told ICT. “But now since the takeover of the controller’s office there have been a lot more after that.”
On Oct. 17, the Window Rock District Court granted a temporary restraining order halting Nygren’s unlawful attempt to remove McCabe and prohibiting the appointment of an acting controller without Budget and Finance Committee approval.
The Office of the President and Vice President addressed the “misinformation” in a press release.
“The Nygren administration has delivered more money for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives for the fiscal year of 2026 than any other administration in Navajo Nation history,” the press release stated.
“There needs to be accountability on all on all sides, we want to be able to ensure that there’s transparency all across the board,” Curley told ICT.
On Oct. 20, Speaker Crystalyne Curley delivered the Speaker’s Report during the opening day of the 2025 Fall Council Session. According to a press release, Curley reported that the 25th Navajo Nation Council unanimously adopted the FY2026 Comprehensive Budget on Sept. 9.
The 2026 fiscal year budget included a more than 12 percent increase of more than $600,000 for the Office of the President and Vice President. The office currently has a budget of $5.5 million, representing a 68 percent increase since 2023 making it one of the largest presidential budgets in Navajo Nation history.
The office is currently requesting an additional $1.5 million.
“We didn’t receive any real justification for why this $1.5 million increase was needed,” Curley said. “As a data-driven budget, we wanted to see how it would be used and what the measures were. Not one delegate has said we want a 68 percent increase in our salary, travel, or stipend.”