Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, the Bashorun of Lagos and Executive Vice Chairman of Lagos Central Mosque, has been elected as the 14th Baba Adinni of the mosque. The election took place on Wednesday at the Lagos Central Mosque, Idumota, where Alabi-Macfoy secured 22 votes, while the other candidate, Jelili Animashaun, received eight votes.
The 30-man screening and election committee, chaired by Fatai Dawodu, one of the executive council members of the mosque, oversaw the election process. The appointment of Alabi-Macfoy comes as a replacement for Sheikh AbdulHafeez Abou, who passed away on January 9 at the age of 101.
Abdullah Oyekan, a member of the executive council and part of the screening and election committee, shared insights about the new Baba Adinni. He mentioned that Alabi-Macfoy has been associated with the central mosque for approximately 45 years and served as the deputy to the late Baba Adinni. As the former vice chairman of the council, Alabi-Macfoy assumed a crucial role, especially as the late Baba Adinni faced challenges due to old age.
Oyekan expressed optimism about Alabi-Macfoy’s leadership, stating, “All the antecedents so far raised our expectations that with his appointment as the Baba Adinni, we should be able to achieve more, and he has a lot of goodwill with people around him. I’m very hopeful and prayerful that he would exceed our expectations.”
In response to his election, Alabi-Macfoy praised the committee for its diligent work and expressed gratitude to Allah for his emergence as the Baba Adinni.