Olusegun Obasanjo

===Campaigning for the presidency: 1998–1999===
Now a free man, Obasanjo travelled to South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where he underwent medical treatment.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=165}} New political parties were forming across Nigeria, one of the largest of which was the [[Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria)|Peoples Democratic Party]] (PDP), an umbrella group that sought to be sufficiently broad that if in power it would deter future coups.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=165}} Prominent PDP members proposed Obasanjo as an ideal presidential candidate. They felt that he could command international respect and that as a military figure he could hold the country together against future coups and secessionist movements. They also argued that Nigeria needed a southern president to balance out its previous northern leadership and that Obasanjo had proved himself as a southerner who had no partisan prejudice against the north.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|pp=166–167}}

Friends and family urged him not to run, saying that he would damage his good reputation or be killed. Obasanjo appeared reluctant, but on 28 October he joined the PDP and a week later announced that he was putting himself forward to be the party's presidential nominee.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=167}} In his campaign, he emphasized his desire to restore what he deemed the legacy of good governance when he left office in 1979.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=168}} At a fundraising dinner, he gained N356 million, of which N120 million had been donated by industrialist [[Aliko Dangote]]. Most of these donations came from military men and the new business class.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=168}} He toured the country, giving speeches and seeking audiences with influential persons; courting state governors was a significant element of his approach.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|pp=169–170}} His campaign overshadowed that of his main rival, [[Alex Ekwueme]], who was widely mistrusted by northerners and the military.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=171}}

The PDP was gaining ground in Nigeria, proving the most successful party in the local government elections of December 1998, the state elections in January 1999, and the Senate and House of Representatives elections in February 1999.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=169}} On 14 February 1999, a PDP convention was called to select its presidential candidate. Obasanjo received 1,658 votes, to 521 for Ekwueme, and 260 for the other five candidates.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|pp=172–174}} Seeking a northerner as the PDP's vice presidential candidate, Obasanjo selected [[Atiku Abubakar]].{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|pp=174–175}} The presidential election took place on 27 February; Obasanjo's sole opponent was the APP's [[Olu Falae]]. About a quarter of those eligible to vote did so, and there was some rigging although no violence. The official tally gave Obasanjo 63 percent of the vote; he was the loser in all six states of his native Yorubaland.{{sfn|Iliffe|2011|p=175}}