George Tiger. Photo from Facebook

George Tiger's re-election campaign as chief of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma gained a boost on Monday when opponents failed to file a petition to remove him from office.

Tribal members didn't gather enough signatures to force an impeachment hearing before the Muscogee National Council. “We fell short a handful,” organizer Shelly Brandy-Harjo told KJRH.

Tiger, who announced his re-election bid earlier this month, refused to step down after the council asked him to resign. At issue was a deal in which he was paid to promote a casino being proposed by the Kialegee Tribal Town.

"If there was even an inkling of any wrongdoing, I wouldn’t have made my announcement for reelection," Tiger said in a statement posted by The Native American Times.

In the statement, Tiger noted that all of his predecessors have faced removal attempts. "It’s a sign of our healthy and active exercise of our tribal constitution at work and it also demonstrates that our citizens have a voice in our government," he said.

Three National Council members are running for chief, The Tulsa World reported. The primary will be held September 19 with a general vote set for November 7.

Get the Story:
Creek Chief George Tiger: Petition for removal ‘didn’t break my spirit’ (The Tulsa World 5/19)
Petition against Creek Nation Principal Chief George Tiger falls short of required total (The Tulsa World 5/18)
Group falls short on number of signatures required to remove Creek Nation Chief George Tiger (KJRH 5/18)
George Tiger plans to seek re-election as Creek Nation principal chief (The Tulsa World 5/8)
Chief George Tiger tells 2 Works for You he has no plans to step down; launches re-election campaign (KJRH 5/8)

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