Former Governor Sullivan Chime’s deft political manoeuvres played out during the inauguration of the Enugu State House of Assembly as his loyalists emerged as principal officers of the House.

Seen as a move that will enable Chime to continue to hold Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by the balls, the House elected two members of the Group of Eight legislators that lined behind Chime and suspended former Speaker, Eugene Odoh last month.

At Monday’s inauguration, Edward Ubosi, representing Enugu East Urban was elected speaker while Donatus Uzogbadu, representing Oji River, was elected Deputy Speaker.

Both the Speaker and his Deputy were members of the Group of Eight legislators that worked with Chime to oust Odoh.

Uzogbado was elected the factional leader of the House following the suspension of former leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, in the intrigues over the threat to impeach Chime.

On his part, Governor Ugwuanyi appears not to have had the courage to untie himself from Chime’s apron strings.

He spent three days of first week in office, leading delegations of the three senatorial zones on a thank you visit to Chime, whom he has repeatedly described as “my leader in and out of government,” giving people the impression that the new governor was not ready to be his own man.

On Saturday, he called a Town Hall Meeting of stakeholders where the appointment of his cabinet and advisers was the only item on the agenda.

It was gathered that the consensus at the meeting was that Ugwuanyi should do away with all those who worked in Chime’s government.

Many of the participants at the meeting were unequivocal in telling him to exercise the mandate the people gave and not to wait to get directives from some godfather somewhere.

The emergence of Chime’s men as principal officers of the House has confirmed fears that he was under pressure to appoint the former governor’s men as aids.

With the development, the stage is now set for Chime’s choice of men for Ugwuanyi’s cabinet and advisers to waltz through legislative screening when their names are submitted to the House with Ubosi and Uzogbado as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

The drama will continue to unfold when the House reconvenes on June 26.