Nigerian entertainer and politician Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, has revealed how losing the 2023 House of Representatives election pushed him to seek God’s direction and eventually embrace pastoral ministry in the United States.
The singer, filmmaker and entrepreneur shared the experience on Thursday while marking his first anniversary in pastoral ministry, reflecting on how the electoral defeat forced him to reconsider his purpose and future.
Banky W said the loss left him heartbroken but also prompted him to surrender his plans to God and seek clarity on his next steps.
“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 in an Instagram post.
He said he returned to God after the election, questioning whether he should focus on politics, entertainment, business or ministry.
According to him, he eventually realised that he did not have to abandon one interest to pursue another.
“And somewhere along the way, I realized that I was asking God to choose between things He had never asked me to separate,” he said.
“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 combine his work in entertainment and business with his spiritual calling.
“Turns out, God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment,” he added.
Banky W, who continues to work as a filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur, also serves as a pastor and professor.
He recalled joking that the letter “P” in his stage name, P. Banks, stood for professor rather than pastor, adding that his journey had brought him into both roles.
“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 challenges of travelling between Lagos and the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia area, where he carries out 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.
Reflecting on the election defeat a year later, Banky W said the outcome had not matched his expectations but had opened the way for a different direction in his life.
“One year later, I’m reminded that sometimes what feels like the end of your story is really just God turning the page,” he wrote.
“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 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party but lost to Labour Party candidate Thaddeus Attah.
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