BY BRIGHT JACOB
For music mogul-turned-politician, Olubankole Wellington, popularly called Banky W, the two losses endured so far in his quest to represent the people of Eti-Osa Federal Constituency, Lagos State, in the House of Representatives, are clear reminders of the sharp vicissitudes of political fortune.
Banky W, a Rhythm and Blues singer and Chief Executive Officer of Empire Mates Entertainment, a record label, burst into the limelight in 2007 with the release of his hit single, Ebute Meta, and since then has continued to enjoy a meteoric rise to fame in show business.
It was under his tutelage another famous Nigerian music superstar, Ayodeji Balogun, aka Wizkid, honed his musical skills.
However, after his marriage in 2017 to Nollywood actress, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Banky W decided to explore a new career path, and thus with his celebrity status as well as fame and fortune on his side, he entered the murky waters of politics.
But contrary to all his expectations, politics has so far been a different ball game.
In 2018, the music label executive pitched a tent with the newly registered Modern Democratic Party that is now defunct. The party, led by Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, who was 27-years old at the time, was the go-to party Banky W felt would provide the much needed platform for youths who wanted to be involved in politics or run for political office.
Not only this, Banky W also keyed into the mission statement of the party which was to be a home for those weary of the status quo and want to be “part of something fresh, new, untainted and different.”
Despite the hue and cry about his choice of political party, Banky W took his affiliation with the MDP up a notch. He flew the party’s flag in the 2019 general elections for a seat to represent his beloved Eti-Osa in the National Assembly.
By the time the curtain fell on the election, Banky W lost to the son of a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, Babajide Obanikoro of the All Progressives Congress, and in an emotional post on Instagram to his supporters, the then-greenhorn who beat Omotesho Bakare of the People’s Democratic Party to cement second place, promised to sustain the momentum and also declared that he and his supporters were not finished but only getting started.
Banky W also revealed that, including himself, there were just two candidates who contested election under the MDP and that the party recorded a zilch victory in the 2019 general elections.
This outcome would eventually land the Independent National Electoral Commission’s hammer on the MDP as 74 political parties were deregistered in 2020 for failing to win any political office in the general elections held the previous year.
Banky W had to make a tough choice. He began to scout political parties that could be a feasible alternative and also offer him the best launching pad, courtesy of their structure, to reboot his House of Representatives ambition, and in 2022, he joined the PDP.
While explaining his motive for joining the umbrella party, Banky W said, “So, looking at both parties (APC and PDP), I said where do I think that I can go without losing my soul?
“Which place can I go into, where I will be able to stand on what I stand for, fight for what I want to fight for? And the PDP ticked those boxes for me. It is truly a democratic party.”
In spite of Banky W’s lofty aspirations, there was a new caveat unfolding in the form of a Labour Party tsunami orchestrated by the former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi.
That tsunami began to move throughout the southern part of the country, including the middle belt region, in 2022 after Obi left the PDP in controversial circumstances for the Labour Party.
Thus, the Obi effect on the Labour Party became the greatest obstacle Banky W had to surmount after he won the PDP primary for Eti-Osa Federal Constituency and to conquer it would be no mean feat.
Unfortunately, Banky W could not do so. He lost to Attah Thaddeus of the LP, who also unseated Obanikoro of the APC at the polls.
According to the election umpire, the INEC, Attah, Banky W and Obanikoro got 24,075, 18,666 and 16,901 votes, respectively.
There was a glimmer of hope, however, after the losing candidates filed separate petitions at the Lagos State National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal where they claimed that elections were not held in about 40 Polling Units in Eti-Osa and the tribunal ordered INEC to conduct a supplementary election in 32 Polling Units of the constituency.
It was at this juncture that Banky W, while reacting to the decision of the tribunal, simply said in a tweet that went viral, “It is possible. Still.”
Attah, on the other hand, would have none of that. He headed to the Court of Appeal and, last week, got a favourable judgment that helped him reclaim his mandate, putting paid to any foreseeable Banky W resurgence.
A political analyst, Collins Ugorji, said Banky W likely joined the MDP because he thought his popularity alone could get him into the National Assembly.
“One of the problems politicians have is that they are not ready to build their platforms. People built the PDP and APC. People like Banky W must be ready to build their platforms. They must also make sacrifices”
In Ugorji’s opinion, if Banky W considered taking a shot once again at being a lawmaker, “the APC political structure” would be the best bet for the award-winning artiste going forward.
“I was inspired when I heard the news that Banky W had decided to contest under the MDP in 2019. It was a bold move and till today, I respect him for that. This is why I disagree with critics who say he should only focus on his music career.
“Unfortunately, most times in Nigeria politics, your popularity alone may not be enough to land you that elusive portfolio. You need structure; solid political structure for that matter and this is why I feel the APC political structure would work well for him in 2027 if he chooses to contest again.
“Banky W should not contest again under the PDP and he should not even think of moving to the Labour Party. I believe Obi will leave the Labour Party at some point and the party will go on to be a shadow of its former self after that departure.
“By 2027, the APC will be a lot stronger in Eti-Osa in particular and Lagos State in general,” Ugorji said.
Another analyst, Marvins Abhulimen, said, “Why not? Banky W can contest again in 2027. He would have learnt from his experience. Then again, quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit.
“But Banky W should know what he stands for. I remember in 2019 when he contested under MDP, I was one of his supporters because he was in one of the third force political parties. His campaign slogan also centred on doing something about the APC and PDP, but in 2023, Banky W decided to pitch his tent with the PDP.
“You see, politicians need to learn how to stay in one place, especially when they are coming from a background of activism. Banky W needs to be clear on his ideology, on what he wants to stand for so that he would not be moved by every breeze that blows.
“Hence, he needs to define himself. One of the problems politicians have is that they are not ready to build their platforms. People built the PDP and APC. People like Banky W must be ready to build their platforms. They must also make sacrifices.
“So, he can contest again, but that work must start now. You can’t just say you want to run but don’t know your party, or you are PDP now but in the next election you join APC,” Abhulimen said.
Abhulimen, a former Lagos State Public Relations Officer of KOWA Party and a staunch member of the Labour party, added that the LP would be the most viable option for Banky W.
He also knocked LP lawmakers who collected official vehicles in the National Assembly for “not knowing why they won”; saying Banky W could beat the incumbent in his constituency at the party’s primaries if he made the switch to Labour.
Abhulimen said, “In his press statement, Peter Obi said he was now part of the opposition. So, for Obi, it is time to build the opposition. There is nothing wrong with Banky W going to the LP.
“Banky W contested twice for a House of Representatives seat. He can now contest for governorship in Lagos State in 2027 under LP. It doesn’t have to be the same House of Representatives.
“He should join a strong opposition and he should galvanise his base. And even if he chooses to contest for the House of Representatives, nothing stops him from defeating the incumbent during the LP primaries because those guys that won on the platform of LP don’t even know why they won.
“Again, too, in a party like Labour, if you build and consistently build, it will be about your result,” he said.
