[6] In 1964, after he returned from Sandhurst, Yar'Adua was posted to the first infantry battalion of the Nigerian Army in Enugu under the command of Col. Adekunle Fajuyi as second lieutenant.

From 1964 to the end of the Nigerian Civil War, he held various positions including platoon commander in 1964, and from 1965 to 1966 adjutant of the First Infantry Battalion in Enugu.

[citation needed] In 1975, he was an active participant in the military coup d'état that deposed General Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria's Head of State.

Prior to the coup, officials of the previous regime had ordered 16 million tonnes of cement to build military barracks around the country.

[10] Following the 1976 Nigerian coup d'état attempt, which resulted in the assassination of Murtala Muhammed, Yar'Adua became the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.

[14] In 1979, the regime transferred power to the civilian elected government of Shehu Shagari ushering in the Second Nigerian Republic which lasted from 1979 to 1983.

[15] Yar'Adua and his group formed the People's Front of Nigeria; Members included Babagana Kingibe, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, Magaji Abdullahi, Ango Abdullahi, Ahmadu Rufa'i, Yahaya Kwande, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Wada Abubakar, Babalola Borishade, Timothy Oguntuase Akinbode, Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Sunday Afolabi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Tony Anenih, Chuba Okadigbo and Abubakar Koko.

[17] During the Governorship and House of Assembly elections, SDP had a slight numerical edge over the opposition National Republican Convention (NRC).

[18] In January 1992, Yar'Adua spent a short stint in detention, jailed for contravening a law banning certain persons from active politics.

Members of his campaign group included former PDP chairman Anthony Anenih, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former minister Dapo Sarumi, Bola Tinubu, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila and Sunday Afolabi.

In November 1993, the interim government of Ernest Shonekan was booted out and Sani Abacha became the new military Head of State, disbanding the political parties.

He was an outspoken delegate and in early 1994 organized a political conference at the Nigerian Union of Journalist office in Lagos that earned the attention of the military leadership who detained him for four days.