Obaldía was elected in 1851 to succeed Rufino Cuervo y Barreto as the 7th Vice President of New Granada; he took office on 1 April 1851 as PresidentJosé Hilario López Valdéz's 2nd Vice President. From 14 October 1851 to 21 January 1852 Vice President Obaldía became Acting President in charge of the Executive Power while President López was out of the capital until his return. On 1 April 1853 José María Obando del Campo succeeded López to the Presidency, Obaldía remained as Vice President as the elections for President and Vice President were held two years apart. Although Obando and Obaldía both belonged to the newly created Liberal party, they belonged to different ideological camps, Obando was of the Draconian faction, and Obaldía was of the Golgothian faction this brought them into conflict from the start as the Golgothians had opposed Obando's nomination in the first place. In April 1854, Golgothians in congress moved to reduce the size and influence of the armed forces, thus provoking a coup by General José María Melo y Ortiz, commander of the Bogotá garrison. General Melo hoped that Obando would welcome the uprise and move to suspend Congress, but when President Obando refused, Melo assumed the presidency himself establishing a dictatorship and imprisoning Obando. Vice President Obaldía managed to escape by taking refuge in the US Legation in Bogotá headed by James S. Green, the United States Chargé d'Affaire to New Granada. Obaldía and the rest of the Melo opposition reconvened in Ibagué where they headed the government-in-exile and the military campaign to take Melo from power. On 22 September, Congress convened in Ibagué impeached President Obando for irresponsible negligence in not preventing the coup and formally removed from office. On 5 August Vice President Obaldía, who had testified against Obando in his trial before Congress, was left in charge of the Executive Power as Acting President of the Governmentacting in rebellion against the Dictatorship of Melo. On 4 December the constitutional forces marched into Bogotá, deposed Melo and left Vice President Obaldía as Acting President of the constitutional government now in power. On 1 April 1855 Obaldía's term came to an end and Congress elected Conservative Congressman Manuel María Mallarino Ibargüen to succeed Obaldía as Vice President and to finish Obando's term as Acting President.
