I WILL NOT RESIGN,JONATHAN TELLS BOKO HARAM.But President Goodluck Jonathan has faulted the condition given by the Boko Haram that he should embrace the Islamic faith and become its ardent member or resign from office, saying that the sect's demands were blackmail and rude intimidation. Speaking to LEADERSHIP through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president said he would not resign as president as far as he was in power based on the mandate givento him by Nigerians in the 2011 presidential poll. Abati said it was laughable for any group in the country to hand down such a condition to a president whowas elected by both Muslims and Christians in last year's presidential poll even when it was not in contest that he was a Christian. The presidential spokesman said,"When Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for President Jonathan in the 2011 general election, they knew they were voting for a Christian. He continues to enjoy the goodwill and support of the good people of Nigeria. As president, Dr. Jonathan is the leaderof both Muslims and Christians; in fact he is the leader of persons of all faiths. "So, it amounts to sheer blackmail for any individual or group to ask the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convert to Islam. The president cannot be intimidated by any group or individual. The President will never resign. He has the mandate of Nigerians to serve his motherland and nobody should imagine that hewill succumb to blackmail."

But President Goodluck Jonathan has faulted the condition given by the Boko Haram that he should embrace the Islamic faith and become its ardent member or resign from office, saying that the sect's demands were blackmail and rude intimidation. Speaking to LEADERSHIP through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president said he would not resign as president as far as he was in power based on the mandate givento him by Nigerians in the 2011 presidential poll. Abati said it was laughable for any group in the country to hand down such a condition to a president whowas elected by both Muslims and Christians in last year's presidential poll even when it was not in contest that he was a Christian. The presidential spokesman said,"When Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for President Jonathan in the 2011 general election, they knew they were voting for a Christian. He continues to enjoy the goodwill and support of the good people of Nigeria. As president, Dr. Jonathan is the leaderof both Muslims and Christians; in fact he is the leader of persons of all faiths. "So, it amounts to sheer blackmail for any individual or group to ask the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convert to Islam. The president cannot be intimidated by any group or individual. The President will never resign. He has the mandate of Nigerians to serve his motherland and nobody should imagine that hewill succumb to blackmail."