Talks About Losing The Election And His
Wife’s Reaction To It
Singer turned politician Banky W has spoken on his
loss at the recently held National Assembly
election. Banky W opened up about his political
ambition, his wife’s reaction and more.
On why he chose politics:
The reason I ventured into politics was because of
my desire to impact and improve my community;
the desire to do more than just talk, tweet and
complain about government and the issues facing
young people, and the desire to be a part of the
progress we all seek. Most of us say we want a
better country, but that’s where we stop. I actually
went for the specific role in government that I felt I
wanted to work in at this time if given the
opportunity. The House of Representatives would
give me an opportunity to serve the whole country
as a federal lawmaker, and also to serve my local
community because of the constituency
development that each member of the National
Assembly is responsible for. That dual role of
impact at the federal and local levels is what
informed my decision to attempt this race.
On losing at the polls:
I feel very grateful, even in defeat, because of the
things we were able to accomplish. Just by running
the kind of campaign we ran, and winning some of
the major polling units in our area, especially in
places like Lekki, Agungi, Idado, Northern
Foreshore, Badore, etc. Even in the places where
we didn’t win, we were consistently placed in the
top three right alongside the two major powers that
be. And we did all this with a new, unknown party
with no godfather or major sponsor and in the
space of three months. It shows that we can
compete. You have to remember that a lot of the
voters were accustomed to just picking sides
between the All Progressives Congress and the
Peoples Democratic Party. We actually earned
every single vote we got, and that’s something to
be proud of. We also hopefully inspired our
generation enough to know that it can be done and
to participate in the future. We made it to the top
three in just three months; imagine what we can do
with four years of consistent effort? We may not
have won the election in Eti-Osa, but we won
something far greater. We won their hearts.
On why he did not pitch camp with the major
parties, APC and PDP:
My goal was not to just win an elected office; my
goal was also to inspire my generation to get
involved. You see, there are millions of
disenfranchised young people who are fed up and
frustrated by our government and political parties.
When we look at the numbers after every election,
it shows us that the turnout, especially among
young voters, is always very low. And it’s ironic to
me because these young people actually have the
numbers to sway any election in this country, from
the presidential, all the way down. That power has
always been with the people, but the people don’t
bother to use it. There are actually always more
people who do not participate than there are who
are loyal to (or paid by) a particular party. And so
my goal was to try and convince as many of those
people who normally wouldn’t bother, to care
again. Nigeria can only really change if and when
the young people demand it, and get involved in
mak ing it happen. And I feel like we’ve sparked
that movement with the race we ran. Our work has
just begun. We must now continue to build the
movement, and sustain the momentum.
On Adesua’s reaction to his political ambition and
the eventual loss:
Her initial reaction was one of worry; she said
politics in Nigeria is dirty and dangerous, and she
didn’t want anything to soil my name or harm me.
But I explained to her that it will always be dirty
and dangerous if good people avoid it. Some of us
need to get into the system to try and fix it, or it
would remain rotten forever. And thank God she
understood why it was necessary, and went on to
support me every step of the campaign. (When I
lost), she told me that she had never been more
proud of anyone in her entire life and that it was an
honour for her to be on my side. And then she
called me her hero which was quite emotional and
still is.
On the possibility of quitting entertainment for
music:
I’m not quitting entertainment anytime soon and
people can still expect to see and hear from me as
a musician and filmmaker. In addition, EME as a
media agency is doing fantastically well. In fact,
ironically, the company has never been more
successful than it has been in the last two years
when we refocused our operations towards the
agency space. So in music, movies, and media, I
will always be here, by God’s grace. But I will also
be doing a lot more work in service to the public,
whether I am ever given an elected office or not.
On the future of his political career:
I intend to spend the next four years building the
MDP movement in preparation for the 2023
elections. When I look back at what we did in just
three months, I’m hopeful about what we can
potentially achieve within the next four years. I
believe that by the grace of God if we are
consistent, we will be a lot more successful next
time around. I also have more music, movies, and
media projects in store, and a lot more as a
businessman and family man to achieve.
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