Former dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, is officially out of the 2007 presidential race. The nomination of presidential candidates has closed without IBB, as he is called, being presented by any political party, after making so much empty noise.

Gen Babangida withdrew from the PDP primaries

Earlier, Mr Babangida withdrew from the ruling PDP presidential primary after it became clear that President  Olusegun Obasanjo was backing Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner like IBB.

Many analysts had expected Mr Babangida, nicknamed Maradona by the Nigerian media for his unpredictable political dribbles, to seek the nomination of another party.

But when the deadline for submission of nominees to the country's electoral body closed on Friday, Mr Babangida had still not managed to find another party.

"Submission of names of party nominees for the presidency and the Senate closed today as provided for in the Electoral Act," Ndidi Okafor of the Independent National Electoral Commission told the BBC.

 It was an anti-climax for the presidential run of Nigeria's most detested former leader, as he had been spending money for many years and erecting billboards across the nation with the hope of succeeding Mr. Obasanjo.

It was Babangida's money that saw even Obasanjo to the State House in 1999.

A lot hangers-on, who had expected to benefit from IBB's generous political campaign, such as Mr. Alex Akinyele, Professor Omo Omoruyi and the like, will now have to look elsewhere for a free-spending politician.

According to impeccable source, the leadership of one of Babangida's front political parties, the weak NDP, offered its presidential ticket to him at his Minna home in Niger State last Wednesday night. The Nigerian Tribune reported that the NDP team was led by its national chairman, Alhaji Abu Fari.

It was gathered that when the offer was made to the former military president, he bluntly told the leadership of the party that he would not contest any election on the platform of the NDP.

The disappointed team, left Minna for Abuja to fine tune its preparation for the national convention held on Thursday.

However, the Niger State chapter of the party had insisted that the name of Babangida would be presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its presidential flagbearer in the next year election.

The party said even if  Babangida failed to appear at the convention, a flag would be hoisted to represent him and delegates would be directed to so vote.

Some of his campaign managers who were in Minna during the week, returned to their bases when the former dictator failed to address the very issue when he met them on Tuesday.

There are some 50 presidential contenders but it is becoming increasingly likely that Nigerians will be choosing from among Mr Yar'Adua, Mr Abubakar or the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party's Muhammadu Buhari come April.

Next year's polls should become the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another since independence in 1960.