A vote on the governance of the Aave decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol has sparked a backlash from key stakeholders after a proposal for ownership of Aave-branded assets was turned into a snapshot vote following an unresolved discussion.

Proposal he asks the community, or Aave (AAVE) token holders, should regain control of the protocol’s brand assets, including domains, social handles, naming rights, and other intellectual property, through a legal vehicle controlled by the DAO.

Founder of Aave Stani Kulechov he said the community was interested in the decision, reporting that the proposal was put to a vote.

“We realize that the community is very interested in the path forward and is ready to make a decision,” Kulechov wrote.

While Kulechov said it was time for token holders to vote, other community members argued that the proposal was put to a vote prematurely, disregarding governance norms.

Related: SEC ends investigation into Aave after four years, says CEO Kulechov

Aave Labs faces “hostile takeover” accusations.

Former Aave Labs chief technology officer Ernesto Boado, whose name appears as the author of the proposal, said the escalation of the vote took place without his consent or knowledge.

“From an ethos point of view, this is not my proposal” – Boado he wrote on X, stating that he would not approve putting it to a vote while public discussion was still ongoing. He said the escalation violates the community’s code of trust.

Marc Zeller, who heads the Aave Chan Initiative (ACI), said the proposal was “unilaterally escalated” despite unresolved questions from delegates and token holders.

In a public statement, Zeller he said that timing and process choices significantly reduced community participation, adding that the ability of late-informed participants to mobilize or redelegate was narrow.

“What began as a push for transparency and a more fair relationship between token holders and existing stewards,” Zeller said, “is now turning into an attempted hostile takeover by Labs.”

Zeller criticized the decision to delay the vote during the holiday season, which immense stakeholders, investors and institutions have historically characterized as one of the “worst windows” for high-stakes governance voting.

Responding to criticism, Kulechov he said he stated that the discussion had been going on for five days and was full of numerous comments, and stated that the vote met all the requirements.

“People are tired of this discussion and the best way to solve the problem is to vote. This is the end of governance,” he wrote.

The dispute highlighted deeper questions about the governance of Aave, one of the largest DeFi protocols in the space.

While the proposal focuses on “soft” asset ownership, the backlash highlights how much influence can come from control over escalation, timing and information flow.

Warehouse: Bitcoin whale Metaplanet ‘underwater’ but eyeing more BTC: Asia Express