While I understand that a Governor is intended/required for approving/negotiating plantation operating permissions, the mechanic is flawed.
Influence allows a single player to effectively control a port. As long as they hold the most influence, they can control the port, regardless of the flag that they fly.
In the instance of a Pirate held port, operating permissions are waived as pirates have no king nor do they have a council.
In the instance of a Nation held port, operating permissions need approval of the governor. The mechanic assumes that the nation will have other players within the nation's council beyond the king/queen. This is not always or necessarily the case. Thus, a player who belongs to a nation that has no other players in the council, is unfairly limited in nation/port game play due to the need of having to rely on another player to join their nation to fill the Governor role, even though the game allows them to single handedly control a port.
This mechanic needs to be fixed to either:
1) Allow a king/queen the ability to grant/negotiate operating permissions when a governor is absent
OR
2) New or Renewed Operating Permissions for a port that have no governor are waived until a governor is appointed. (Acts as a Pirate Port). Once a governor is assigned, anyone who does not have active permissions would be given X days to negotiate.