Vehicular movement was halted in major areas of Benin on Thursday as Vice President Kashim Shettima arrived for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Edo.
A correspondent monitoring traffic reported that all roads leading to the Oba’s Palace and Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, the rally venue, were blocked, causing severe congestion across the city.
Affected roads included Airport Road, Plymouth Road, Reservation Road, Exotic Road, Ekenwan Road, and major streets within the Government Reservation Area (GRA).
Motorists spent hours in traffic, while many commuters were forced to trek long distances to their destinations.
Commercial drivers used alternative routes, which also became congested. Security personnel, including police, military, and Federal Road Safety Corps officials, were deployed to key junctions to manage traffic and maintain order.
Despite the gridlock, large crowds gathered at the airport and palace to welcome the Vice President. Hundreds of motorcycle riders in uniformed polo shirts and T-shirts bearing images of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima lined Airport Road. In uniform attire, young women in uniform T-shirts, and various cultural groups were also seen singing and dancing at the airport and palace, awaiting the Vice President’s arrival.
As at the time of this report, the rally had not yet begun at the stadium, and supporters continued to arrive from across the state.
