In his role as president, Dabwido functioned as chairman of the Cabinet of Nauru, and held various portfolios in the Nauruan government.

He also represented Nauru internationally winning a silver medal for his country at the 1995 Samoa Games and competed at the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships in the super heavyweight category.

[4] Again re-elected at the 2010 elections,[5] Dabwido joined the opposition faction in November 2011 when Stephen resigned as president to be succeeded by Freddie Pitcher.

In his speech during the opening plenary, he evaluated the potential problems faced by islands in the Pacific Ocean resulting from rising sea levels.

Reiterating the SIDS objective for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent further global climate change, Dabwido called for the development of a legally binding protocol alongside the Kyoto Protocol, with reference to "mitigation actions for developing countries" and the Bali Action Plan.

[9] In June 2012, Dabwido sacked his cabinet after seven months in office, citing difficulty in passing the Constitutional Amendment Parliamentary Amendments Bill, a proposed constitutional reform bill that would alter the number of members of parliament, introduce an Ombudsman Commission, and introduce a code of ethics for parliamentarians.

[14] The Nauru government has denied the claim, saying Dabwido was immediately accepted for fully funded overseas treatment for his condition.