Frederick Blake Jr said on Thursday “it is time to get to work” after an NWT Supreme Court judge declared him the duly elected Grand Chief of the Gwich’in Tribal Council.
Blake prevailed in a court case after the August 2024 election’s result was contested by his rival, Ken Kyikavichik.
While Blake won more vote than Kyikavichik, the tribal council’s board of directors found three of Kyikavichik’s allegations of electoral wrongdoing to be valid and threw out the result.
Supreme Court Justice Annie Piché this week said the board had been wrong to do so and restored the result, declaring Blake to be the new grand chief.
“I am grateful that the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories has reaffirmed the democratic decision of our members and confirmed that I will serve as the duly elected Grand Chief of the Gwich’in Tribal Council,” Blake wrote on Thursday morning.
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“Now, it is time to get to work and fulfill the promises I made during my campaign. I am excited to move forward and serve our members to the best of my ability.
“Thank you for your support and your trust. Let’s get to work together.”
The tribal council said it had no comment in the immediate aftermath of the judge’s verdict being published and has not provided any public comment since.
How the council and its board will now respond to the judge’s ruling is not clear.
Kyikavichik said earlier this week he was reviewing the written ruling before deciding whether to pursue an appeal.
