Popular Nigerian singer turned politician Banky W has spoken on his loss at the recently held National Assembly election.
While speaking with Punch Newspaper, Banky W opened up on his political ambition – his decision to go into politics and what will keep him going for years to come.
He also spoke on his spouse, Adesua’s reaction to his loss. Read brief excerpts from the interview below,
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 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.
Culled from PunchNG
