(CNN) National Rifle Association President Oliver North told NRA members on Saturday he will not be renominated president of the group following a dispute with its CEO Wayne LaPierre.

The announcement was made in a letter read Saturday during the NRA convention being held in Indianapolis, NRA officials confirmed to CNN.

North said in the letter that he hoped he would be renominated for a second term but, "I am now informed that will not happen," according to a video of the letter being read.

North, a central figure in the Iran-Contra scandal, was selected last year to be the NRA's president. At the time, LaPierre -- the group's longtime executive and key public face -- called him "hands down, the absolute best choice to lead our NRA Board." Already a controversial figure due to the Reagan-era scandal over secret arms sales to Iran, North joined the preeminent gun rights group at a critical juncture for it as it responded to renewed calls for gun control in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

But on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that LaPierre told the NRA's board that he had refused a demand by North to step down and accused the NRA president of trying to extort him.

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