I Lost 2023 Election, It Broke My Heart – Banky W Opens Up On Painful Experience

Nigerian singer, actor and entrepreneur Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, has revealed how his defeat in the 2023 general election affected him emotionally and contributed to his decision to enter pastoral ministry.

Naija News reports that the entertainer, who contested for the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the experience left him heartbroken and made him reconsider the direction of his life.

Banky W shared the experience while celebrating his first anniversary as a pastor, explaining how the election loss became a turning point in his relationship with God and his understanding of his purpose.

According to him, he initially struggled to determine whether he should focus on politics, entertainment, business or ministry after the election did not go as he had hoped.

He said: “I used to joke that the ‘P’ in P.Banks stood for Professor, not Pastor. 😂 I guess God heard and said, ‘Why not both?

“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. When the dust settled, I took those pieces back to God. And I surrendered. I asked Him, ‘What’s next? What’s Your will for my life? Is it leadership or ministry? Entertainment or business? Marketplace or ministry?’

“Somewhere along the way, I realised I was asking God to choose between things He had never asked me to separate. It wasn’t either/or. It was all of the above.

“Turns out, God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment. So yes, I’m still a filmmaker, musician, and entrepreneur. But somehow, by the grace of God, I’m also a Pastor AND a Professor.

“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.

“One year down. A lifetime of purpose ahead. Pls wish me a happy 1st Uni onversary”