Babangida, along with other notable military leaders including Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, was a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). They allegedly backed General Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1999 Nigerian presidential contest in an effort to regain their political clout.
Babangida declared in August 2006 that he will compete in the 2007 presidential election, saying he would do so “under the banner of the Nigerian people.” He accused the nation’s political class of escalating tensions between different ethnic and religious groups. In order to officially declare his intention to run for president, Babangida picked up a nomination form from the PDP headquarters in Abuja on November 8, 2006. Strong reactions followed Ahmadu Ali, the PDP chairman, personally handing him the paperwork.
But soon before the party’s presidential primary in December 2006, rumors circulated that Babangida had pulled out of the race. He ran against General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau and Umaru Yar’Adua, the younger brother of the late General Shehu Yar’Adua, both of whom were close to him, citing a “moral dilemma” in a letter that was publicized by the media. It was generally accepted that Babangida had little chance of succeeding.
Babangida formally announced his plan to contest for president in the 2011 election in September 2010. After the explosion in Abuja in October 2010, however, his military advisors advised him to drop out of the competition. Eventually, President Goodluck Jonathan emerged as the PDP’s nominee, and during his administration, he turned to Babangida and his military allies for guidance.
Babangida mostly avoided the spotlight when General Muhammadu Buhari, his longtime opponent, was elected president in 2015. He had corrective surgery in 2017. He has argued for a generational change in leadership to enable fresh leaders to take the place of the outdated military guard from 1966 and is now recognized as a prominent elder statesman.
