R&B crooner, Olubankole Wellington who is popularly known by his commercial name Banky W, has joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria’s main opposition and second largest political party.
41-year-old Banky W has been railing against the PDP and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) for much of his political life, but now he says “we must no longer be content to shout from the sidelines.”
On November 11, 2018, Banky W declared his intention to run for Lagos’ Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives on the platform of the Modern Democratic Party (MDP).
On February 23, 2019, Banky W lost the House of Representatives election to Babajide Obanikoro of the APC.
“For us, it wasn’t just about winning a seat, it was about planting a seat. Our focus was not just on the next election, it was on the next generation,” he says.
In the debate ahead of that election, Banky W took the PDP and APC to the cleaners.
“I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to run again, because the last campaign took everything that we had. But if my service to the community was only dependent on whether or not I got a seat in government, then I didn’t deserve a seat in the first place.
“We can no longer settle for candidates who feel entitled to their place in government, we need candidates who will earn and treasure their right to serve.
“Reform in our nation will happen when enough of us with like minds, who have the best interest of our nation at heart, are in government.
“I’d like to announce that I will once again be answering the call to serve by attempting to secure a ticket to represent Eti-Osa Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP.
“Some may not not understand or agree with my decision to run or my choice of platform, but I’ve learnt that we must engage with Nigeria where it is, not where we hope that it should be.
“We must no longer be content to shout from the sidelines, we must get into the system to fix it. The problems of Nigeria are from the top down, but the solutions are from the bottom up.
“So, some of us must infiltrate the major platforms that exist in order to build an army of like minds who will enter government with the same agenda,” he adds.
