How Losing the 2023 Election Inspired My Journey into Pastoral Work, Banky W

Nigerian singer, filmmaker, and politician Bankole Wellington, known as Banky W, has shared how losing the 2023 election pushed him to seek God’s guidance. He reflected on his purpose while marking his first year in pastoral ministry in the United States.

On Thursday, Banky W posted on his Instagram page, @bankywellington. He said the election loss broke his heart but also made him think about how his love for leadership, entertainment, business, and ministry could work together.

“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.

After the election, he turned to God for guidance. He surrendered his plans and asked what his next steps should be.

“When the dust settled, I took those pieces back to God. And I surrendered,” he said.

He remembered asking God if his future should be in leadership or ministry, entertainment or business, and if he should focus on the marketplace or ministry.

Banky W said he eventually saw that he had been treating different parts of his life as separate when God did not want him to make that choice.

“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 singer explained that this journey helped him realize that his responsibilities were growing instead of shrinking, allowing him to explore various professional and spiritual paths.

“Turns out, God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment,” he added.

Banky W continues to work as a filmmaker, musician, and entrepreneur while also serving as a pastor and professor.

Looking back on his path in ministry, he joked that the letter “P” in his name, P. Banks, stood for professor instead of 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.

He also talked about the challenges of traveling often between Lagos and the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia area, known as the DMV, to meet his commitments.

“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 expressed thanks for the chances that have come from his experiences. He said the election results were not what he wished for, but his life has taken a new direction since then.

Reflecting 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 ran for 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 ran under the Labour Party.