By SONI DANIEL
ABUJA—Although the Presidency has cautioned against campaigns for the next elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is pressing ahead with necessary preparations for the polls.

It was learnt Tuesday that the commission had already deployed its key personnel abroad for training in critical Informational and Communication Technology applications.

A source in the commission, who confirmed the early preparations, however, declined to say whether the ICT personnel were being trained in preparation for the planned electronic voting or analog election in 2015.

INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, had hinted last year that it would be possible to use electronic voting in the next election, an idea that was promptly opposed by those who claim that Nigeria is not ripe for such an experiment.

But the commission, it was leant, might send a bill to the National Assembly to approve electronic voting, if the need arises to use the method in future.

The opposition notwithstanding, the commission has opted to begin early training for the election so as to avoid the pitfalls that were noticed in the last general election.

Vanguard gathered that the staff, who are mostly drawn from the Information Communication Technology, ICT,  had been in training in Johannesburg for about a month while the next set of staff will be heading for Dakar next week.

While the key staff are undergoing training abroad, other categories of staff who would be involved in the elections, are being trained locally, all in preparation for the crucial polls.

It was gathered that the training, which is meant to strengthen INEC’s capacity in election management, is being supported by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and International Foundation for Electoral Systems, IEFS, International Research Institute, IRI, and other groups that promote democracy and good governance.

Although the number of personnel so far deployed for the training in Johannesburg and Dakar could not be ascertained, a source in INEC confirmed that the staff were representatively selected from the commission’s headquarters and its state offices.

The source said the commission had learnt some lessons from previous elections and was actually planning ahead to ensure a smooth conduct of the next election to ensure that Nigerians derive satisfaction at the end of the polls.

“What we are doing is part of building resources for democracy, governance and elections and it will enable INEC to get it right in 2015. A lot of work is involved and we are not leaving anything to chance.

“Nigerians can be rest assured that the next election will not only be hitch-free but will also give the nation and its people a sense of pride,” the official boasted.