A group known as Arewa United For Peace and Equity (AUP) has described a letter written by Kano State Governor barring President Muhammadu Buhari from visiting the state as disrespectful and anti-North.

Coordinator of the group, Comrade Mal. Sani Lawal Ahmed, in a statement he issued to newsmen on Sunday in Kaduna, also described the action of Ganduje as taken in bad faith.

President Buhari was slated to visit the state to commission some projects on Monday but Ganduje had written a letter urging the president to shelve the visit citing an unfavorable security situation in the state.

According to the governor, the visit may precipitate a likely breach of peace owing to prevailing hardship being faced by residents over the twin issues of currency redesign and fuel scarcity.

Appraising the development however, Ahmed, on behalf of the group, accused Ganduje of sheer hypocrisy and deceit, saying the action was politically motivated.

Ahmed stated that Ganduje’s action is a direct retaliation of the perceived humiliation of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We all know that Governor Ganduje is a close ally of Tinubu and we suspect with strong reasons that the letter was written to hit back and undermine the president.

“It’s on record, before the presidential primary, the same Tinubu used unprintable and uncomplimentary words on the President, leading to the popular infamous “Emilokan” lexicon.

“How can the governor tell a sitting president, who has all the security apparatus at his disposal, to stay off his state when he could have liaised with the Presidency to fashion out a watertight security measure for the president?”.

Ahmed wrote that the President is currently in neighbouring Katsina State on a state visit and he is secured and that the same measure could also apply in Kano than demeaning the office of the President and also the personality of the president.

“We smell the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob in this whole scenario,” he wrote adding that Ganduje is clearly working against the interest of the North ahead of next month’s general election.