Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has said he will not meet the demand of Boko Haram that he embrace the Islamic faith and become its ardent member, or resign from office.
He said the demand amounts to both blackmail and rude intimidation.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan said he would not resign as president as he was in power based on the mandate given to 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 who was 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.
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He continues to enjoy the goodwill and support of the good people of Nigeria. As president, Dr. Jonathan is the leader of both Muslims and Christians; in fact he is the leader of persons of all faiths.
He said it amounted 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,” he said.
“The President will never resign. He has the mandate of Nigerians to serve his father land and nobody should imagine that he will succumb to blackmail"
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