Olubankole Wellington, the Nigerian musician, actor, writer, and director known for his advocacy and passion for voter education, has announced his intention to run for office.
He made the declaration on Saturday, November 10, 2018, during the debut convention of the Modern Democratic Party, a political party founded in 2017 by a consortium of youth associations which pushed for the Not Too Young To Vote bill.
Wellington, 37, will run for a seat in the Federal House of representatives, Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos where he says ‘There’s need for renewed hope and results, just like the rest of Nigeria’.
‘‘Our generation needs a realistic rallying point. We need to begin in the 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’ve 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.
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 don’t have the money to run… we say our strength lies in our numbers. They said we don’t have the structure, we say we will attempt to build it. They said “what if you lose”? I say, what if we win? ‘’
The declaration event was attended by many professionals, celebrities, fans and citizens; with speeches by Jumoke Adenowo, Founder of AD Consulting & Awesome Treasures Foundation, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, MI Abaga, CEO of Chocolate City, Maryam Laushi, National Publicity Secretary of Modern Democratic Party (MDP) and Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, Founder and Chairman of the Modern Democratic Party.
