•Over sect’s call for conversion to Islam
From JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday described as blackmail and rude intimidation the condition given by Boko Haram that he should embrace Islam and become its ardent faithful or resign from office.
Reacting to a report on the condition given by the Islamist sect, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the President will not resign because his mandate was given to him by Nigerians in the 2011 poll which had been internationally recognised as free and fair.
Abati described as laughable the call by any group to give 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.
Abati said: “When Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for President Jonathan in the 2011 general elections, 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 leader of 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 fatherland and nobody should imagine that he will succumb to blackmail”, Abati said.
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