After the military takeover in 1999 and the presidential ordnance enforced in 2002, Abida was disqualified from participating in national politics due to the lack of submitting proof of a baccalaureate degree to the Election Commission, which is a requirement. In 2002, she went to attend the undergraduate program in Economics at the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) but switched her major, and graduated with B.A. in Political Science in 2008.