Orangemen who support the Drumcree protest are considering calling a special meeting of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland to discuss the overall parades issue.
Supporters of Portadown Orange District have been told that they can force an extraordinary meeting of the Orange Order's governing body if they can obtain the signatures of 50 members of the grand lodge.
The next scheduled meeting of the order's grand lodge is due to take place in September. However, a growing number of disenchanted Orangemen now favour an earlier meeting at which the leader of the order, Mr Robert Saulters, will be asked to issue a definitive statement on the Drumcree protest.
Portadown Orangemen have already asked Mr Saulters for a statement of clarification on his support for the Drumcree protest. It was anticipated that Mr Saulters, now the Orange Order's imperial grand master, would make his position clear by last weekend.
He failed to do so and the Portadown Orangemen are expected to tell Mr Saulters that responsibility for resolving the Drumcree crisis now rests with him. Senior Orange sources in Portadown claim they are unable to make any progress on the Drumcree issue because of the current grand lodge policy of not talking to the Parades Commission or to organisations such as the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition.
"Effectively, we can do nothing but sit at Drumcree hill until this is resolved," said one Orangeman.
A Grand Lodge of Ireland source said: "The leadership of this institution has made decisions which govern who the district can talk to and how they can protest.
"In effect, the leadership of the institution must now take total responsibility for Drumcree and devise a successful strategy to end it. It's now in their lap."
Portadown district is expected to make a statement on the Drumcree protest this week.