Lidetu rose to political prominence by forming the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) in 1992 with an initial membership of 120 men and women.
In the days leading to this election, people from the Derg and EPRP era joined Lidetu's opposition struggle through the formation of CUD.
After the relatively free votes in Ethiopia (especially in the capital Addis Ababa) election results started to show in favor of the opposition group CUD.
After joining the Federal Parliament while his former-CUD colleagues were jailed for serious charges, Lidetu’s political image in Ethiopia suffered a further blow.
His popularity plummeted significantly in the aftermath of the elections as he was considered to be a puppet of the ruling EPRDF, as a result of former-CUD leader's massive propaganda to defame him.
EDP stressed that people living in the urban centers are suffering from the rise of prices including food items, utilities, etc.
On 3 August 2018, Lidetu was promoted to the new Government Privatisation Advisory Council to advise Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed concerning his new economic reforms.