Nigerian singer, filmmaker and politician Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, has said his defeat in the 2023 House of Representatives election prompted him to seek God’s direction and reconsider his purpose, eventually leading him into pastoral ministry in the United States.

Banky W disclosed this in a post on his Instagram page, @bankywellington, on Thursday as he marked his first anniversary in pastoral ministry.

He said the election loss left him heartbroken but also created an opportunity for reflection on how his interests in politics, entertainment, business and ministry could coexist.

“In 2023 I lost an election. And while the experience inspired me in many ways, it also broke my heart into a million little pieces,” he wrote.

The singer said he turned to God for direction after the election, surrendering his plans and seeking clarity on his next assignment.

“When the dust settled, I took those pieces back to God. And I surrendered,” he said.

Banky W recalled questioning whether his future lay in political leadership or ministry, entertainment or business, and the marketplace or ministry.

He said he later realised that he had been treating the different aspects of his life as mutually exclusive, although he believed God had not asked him to choose between them.

“And somewhere along the way, I realized that I was asking God to choose between things He had never asked me to separate,” he wrote.

“It wasn’t either/or. It was all of the above.”

According to him, the experience helped him understand that his responsibilities were expanding rather than narrowing, allowing him to pursue his professional interests alongside his spiritual calling.

“Turns out, God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment,” he added.

The entertainer said he continues to work as a filmmaker, musician, and entrepreneur while serving as a pastor and professor.

Reflecting on his journey, he recalled joking that the letter “P” in his name, P. Banks, stood for professor rather than pastor.

“I used to joke that the ‘P’ in P.Banks stood for Professor, not Pastor. I guess God heard and said, ‘Why not both?” he wrote.

Banky W also spoke about the demands of travelling regularly between Lagos and the Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia area, popularly known as the DMV, to fulfil his responsibilities.

“Constantly traveling back and forth between Lagos and the DMV isn’t always easy. But has it been worth it? Absolutely,” he said.

Reflecting on the past year, he expressed gratitude for the opportunities that had emerged from his experiences, noting that although the election result did not go as he had hoped, his life had taken a different direction.

“One year later, I’m reminded that sometimes what feels like the end of your story is really just God turning the page,” he wrote.

“The election didn’t go the way I hoped. But God’s plans for my life are bigger than the plans I had for myself,” he added.

Banky W contested the 2023 House of Representatives election for the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in Lagos State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to Thaddeus Attah of the Labour Party.