Nigerian musician and CEO of Empire Mates Entertainment ( EME), Olubankole ‘Banky W’ Wellington, has announced his intention to run for a public office in 2019.
The actor, writer, musician and director who is an advocate for voters’ education has disclosed that he would represent Eti-Osa Federal constituency in the House of Representatives 2019 election on the platform of Modern Democratic Party (MDP).
Banky, 37 made this declaration at the convention of the MDP which is a political party founded in 2017 by a consortium of youth associations.
The MDP is being led by a 27-year-old youth, Prince Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, who is an activist and entrepreneur. The party received their certificate of registration from the INEC last January.
“We want to fix Nigeria, but we must begin by rebuilding our communities. Everybody seems so obsessed with the presidential race – it’s one of the most frequent suggestions I get, ‘Banky W, run for President.’
“I do believe in dreaming big, but I believe in starting small, and working your way up. And so, we are dreaming and building towards 2023 and beyond, but we are starting now. Hope is what we needed in ’93. Twenty-five years later, hope is what we need in 2019,” he said.
Continuing he said: “Our generation needs a realistic rallying point. We need to begin in community, earn our way into the system and up the ladder.
“We need someone to stick their neck out and pave the way. The problem is that we have always looked to our leaders for change. Instead, look in the mirror and look around you. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for all along,” Wellington added.
Speaking on his vision to run for a public office, BankyW said, “I have shared this vision with quite a few people. Some have been incredibly supportive, but some have advised against it. I am under no illusions that this run will be easy. Considering who we are going up against, this is almost impossible.”
“They said we do not have the money to run. we say our strength lies in our numbers. They said we do not have the structure, we say we will attempt to build it. They said “what if you lose? I say, what if we win?” Banky W emphasised.
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Speaking further on his campaign slogan “Hope”, Banky said “So while we may not have a godfather we do have God, vision, intellectual capacity, integrity, right intentions and last but not least, a whole lot of ‘Hope’.
“At the end of the day, ‘Hope’ may be all we have, but I believe it is all we need.”
Wellington added that the richest people in Nigeria live in the constituency, therefore Eti Osa is vital to the development of Nigeria. Eti Osa houses many rich people in Nigeria, therefore for Nigeria to work Eti Osa must work.
“We want to fix Nigeria, But we must begin by fixing our communities.
“Our generation needs a realistic rallying point, we need to begin in communities, earn our way into the system and up the ladder,” he stressed.
In the spirit of Not-Young-Run, Banky W joins other Nigerian entertainers and celebrities who have declared their intentions to run for public offices in the 2019 election including Shinna peller and Kanayo O. Kanayo.
