Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, the singer sentenced to death for blasphemy by a Kano state Shari’a court, has appealed the judgement.
On August 10, a judgment of Khadi Allyu Muhammad Kani of the Kano Upper Shari’a Court sentenced the musician to death by hanging for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in one of his songs that went viral.
Read Also: Kano Sharia Court Sentences Musician To Death For Blasphemy Against Prophet Muhammad In Song
After the 22-year-old was sentenced, he was given a grace period of 30 days to appeal the judgement.
In the notice of appeal filed on Thursday, Sharif-Aminu included the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and the Attorney General of the state as respondents.
Despite the public outcry with rights groups and many Nigerians seeking a reversal of the judgment, Ganduje said he would sign the death warrant after all legal options for a reprieve had been explored.
Read Also: ‘I Am Ready To Sign Death Warrant Against Singer For Blasphemy’ – Ganduje
The governor during a meeting with clerics in the state said;
I will not waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of the man who blasphemed our holy prophet of Islam.
According to a copy of the court document, the singer pleaded that the court should set aside the judgement because the law used to convict him was unconstitutional and conflicts with the Nigerian constitution, African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Also, he argued that his confessional statement and plea in the court is legally irrelevant in the absence of a valid law criminalising the alleged conduct.
He added that the Sharia law is only applicable and permissible in Islamic theocracies or countries whose constitution allows for such laws and not in Nigeria- a secular State with constitutional democracy.
He stated;
The offence of blasphemy is no longer a cognisable offence in Nigerian by virtue of Section 10 standing alone or in conjunction with Sections 38 and 39 of the Constitution respectively. A capital offence seeking to terminate human life must comply strictly and especially with the right to life provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sharif-Aminu said his trial was devoid of transparency, not conducted in an open court and there is no record of proceedings indicating any compliance with due process.
He further alleged that the Kano State Government, as a party and prosecutor to the complaint, is a complicit party when it failed to provide adequate security and equal enforcement of secular laws.
