Losing 2023 election led me to pastoral work in US — Banky W
Nigerian singer, filmmaker and politician Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, has opened up about how losing the 2023 election prompted him to seek God’s direction and reflect on his purpose, as he marked his first anniversary in pastoral ministry in the United States.
Banky W, in a Thursday post on his Instagram page, @bankywellington, said the election defeat left him heartbroken but eventually led him to reconsider how his interests in leadership, entertainment, business and ministry could coexist.
“In 2023 I lost an election. And while the experience inspired me in many ways, it also broke my heart into a million little pieces,” he wrote.
The singer said that after the election, he turned to God for direction and surrendered his plans, asking what his next assignment should be.
“When the dust settled, I took those pieces back to God. And I surrendered,” he said.
He recalled asking God whether his future lay in leadership or ministry, entertainment or business, and the marketplace or ministry.
Banky W said he eventually realised that he had been treating the different aspects of his life as mutually exclusive, even though he believed God had not asked him to choose between them.
“And somewhere along the way, I realized that I was asking God to choose between things He had never asked me to separate,” he wrote.
“It wasn’t either/or. It was all of the above.”
The entertainer said the experience helped him understand that his responsibilities were expanding rather than narrowing, allowing him to pursue different professional and spiritual interests.
“Turns out, God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment,” he added.
Banky W said he continues to work as a filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur while also serving as a pastor and professor.
Reflecting on his journey into ministry, he recalled joking that the letter “P” in his name, P. Banks, stood for professor rather than pastor.
“I used to joke that the ‘P’ in P.Banks stood for Professor, not Pastor. I guess God heard and said, ‘Why not both?’” he wrote.
The singer also acknowledged the demands of travelling regularly between Lagos and the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia area, commonly known as the DMV, to fulfil his responsibilities.
“Constantly traveling back and forth between Lagos and the DMV isn’t always easy. But has it been worth it? Absolutely,” he said.
Banky W also expressed gratitude for the opportunities he believes have emerged from his experiences, saying the election outcome had not gone as he hoped but that his plans had since taken a different direction.
In a further reflection on the setback, he wrote, “One year later, I’m reminded that sometimes what feels like the end of your story is really just God turning the page.”
“The election didn’t go the way I hoped. But God’s plans for my life are bigger than the plans I had for myself,” he added.
Banky W contested the 2023 House of Representatives election for the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in Lagos State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to Thaddeus Attah, who contested under the Labour Party.
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