Vehicular movement was grounded in major parts of Benin metropolis on Thursday, following the arrival of Vice President Kashim Shettima for the presidential campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo.
NAN correspondent, who monitored the traffic situation, reports that all adjoining roads leading to the Oba’s Palace and the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, the venue of the rally, were blocked, causing heavy gridlock across the metropolis.
The affected roads include Airport Road, Plymouth Road, Reservation Road, Exotic Road, Ekenwan Road and major streets within the Government Reservation Area, GRA, among others.
Motorists spent hours in traffic, while many commuters were forced to trek long distances to their destinations.
Commercial drivers diverted to alternative routes, which also suffered congestion.
Security operatives, including police, military personnel and officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, were deployed to strategic junctions to control traffic and ensure order.
In spite of the gridlock, there was a large turnout of supporters at the Airport and the Palace to welcome the Vice President.
Hundreds of motorcycle riders, wearing uniformed polo shirts and T-shirts with the pictures of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima printed on them, lined up along the Airport Road.
Women groups in different attire, young women in uniform T-shirts, and various cultural groups were also seen singing and dancing at the airport and palace, awaiting the arrival of the vice president.
As at the time of filing this report, the rally had yet to commence at the stadium, while supporters continued to troop in from different parts of the state.