Political sensitivities in the predominantly Muslim north have forced Jonathan, a Christian southerner, to tread lightly in his efforts to contain Boko Haram. Many northerners resent that the presidency was returned to a southerner after only one term with a northerner in office (an informal agreement mandates that the presidency should alternate between north and south every two terms).
以穆斯林为多数人口的北方的政治敏感型迫使作为南方基督徒的乔纳森不得不小心翼翼地试图遏制博科圣地。许多北方人怨恨总统宝座在仅仅一个任期之后又回到了南方人手中（一项不成文的约定规定总统应该每隔两届由南方和北方轮流坐庄）。