Angry Northern Land councillors are calling on the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion to intervene in what they say are governance problems in the troubled organisation.

Key points: Northern Land Councillors want a full council meeting after interim chief executive Rick Fletcher was dismissed on Friday

Northern Land Councillors want a full council meeting after interim chief executive Rick Fletcher was dismissed on Friday Allegations have been raised that the leadership instability has been fuelled by an ongoing dispute over rent for NLC offices

Allegations have been raised that the leadership instability has been fuelled by an ongoing dispute over rent for NLC offices Staff disquiet has boiled over regarding the sudden leadership changes

Some are astounded that a third chief executive within four months has been appointed to head the powerful land council.

On Friday the council's executive dismissed the acting chief executive Rick Fletcher and appointed former Labor Minister Jack Ah Kit as the body's interim head.

The ABC understands that council staff would not let Mr Ah Kit into their Darwin headquarters on Friday afternoon because they had not been notified about his appointment.

James Sing, the Darwin West land councillor, said about 30 of the 83 full council members petitioned the group's executive weeks ago to hold a meeting to address governance questions and instability, but that was refused.

'Only one option available'

So they have asked the Minister Nigel Scullion to intervene.

"We've asked the executive to call a Full Council to explain their actions, from the sacking of Joe Morrison as CEO," Mr Sing said.

"But they've demonstrated an unwillingness to call a full council meeting, which has left us the only option available, which is contacting the Indigenous Affairs Minister, and the Minister has been supportive."

Jack Ah Kit has been named as the new interim CEO for the Northern Land Council. ( ABC News: Lucy Marks )

In November, the organisation's chief executive of four years, Joe Morrison, announced he would resign within three months for personal reasons.

He had been brought into the role in 2014 to help reform the council's governance following a critical inquiry by the National Audit Office.

But within days of announcing he intended to resign, Mr Morrison was dismissed from the council.

Mr Sing said Mr Morrison's dismissal came after he pushed for an investigation into an internal dispute over how much a Northern Land Council majority-owned company is charging the council to rent its Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek offices.

"We're not speculating, we're just asking questions," Mr Sing said.

"I came onto the land council in 2014, and the first report that we got from that company was late last year, so four years of no reports to a major stakeholder of the company, which is pretty concerning for me."

Councillor 'not a fan' of Ah Kit appointment

Daly River land councillor John Daly said he was also concerned about the dismissal of Mr Morrison, the sudden dismissal of interim chief executive Mr Fletcher, and his replacement with Mr Ah Kit.

"I'm not a real fan of the appointment, and I think we need to sit down as a full council and decide what the best outcome is," he said.

"Making rash decisions and putting people in positions and then yanking the carpet out from under them doesn't work.

"Rick was appointed as the interim CEO, we should have stuck with Rick.

"If they had issues with him they should have thought of that before they appointed him."

Mr Daly said it was critical that the land council got its house in order, because it was one of the few Indigenous bodies with the authority and resources to advocate for traditional owners on issues including land rights, housing and health.

"I think our governance is failing us. I think we need to come back to reality and talk about it as a full council," he said.

"It's out of control at the moment, people are looking at it, and I as a traditional owner am looking at it, and I'm concerned about my land rights and I'm concerned about the governance of my land rights."

Call for Full Council meeting

Mr Daly called on the council's executive to voluntarily call a full council meeting.

"It would look much much better for us internally, and externally as well it would show a united front and a united voice, and at the moment we're not," he said.

"We're very broken, shattered.

"Some people know what's going on and some don't.

"Other people are just getting drip fed bits of information, and people are concerned, generally speaking."

Mr Fletcher, the outgoing acting head, said he has also asked Senator Scullion to use his powers to force a full council meeting to be held.

"In the light of the ongoing instability within the NLC I have asked the Minister to convene an NLC Full Council meeting and to seek that an independent person be appointed acting CEO until the current governance issues with the NLC are resolved," he said.

The ABC's calls to the executive have not yet been returned.