Considered one of the leading Hawaiian politicians of his generation, his skills as an orator were compared to those of the Ancient Greek statesman Solon.

[5] According to later testimony of Charles T. Gulick in the Blount Report, Aholo and his contemporary George Washington Pilipō were considered "some of the brightest [native leaders] then living...in the house".

[11] In his capacity as Privy Councilor, Aholo and William DeWitt Alexander, the Surveyor-General, represented the Kingdom of Hawaii at the International Meridian Conference, held in Washington, DC, in October 1884.

[4] From October 22, 1886 to November 15, 1886, he also served as acting Attorney General of Hawaii between the resignation of John Lot Kaulukou and the appointment of Antone Rosa.

[11] Following the signing of the Bayonet Constitution of 1887, which limited the king's executed power, Aholo was forced to resign along with the rest of the Gibson regime and replaced by Lorrin A. Thurston and the so called Reform cabinet.

Aholo died on March 16, 1888, at Washington Place, the private residence of Governor Dominis and Princess Liliʻuokalani in Honolulu.

Keahi died on February 12, 1878, six days after the birth of their daughter, With his third and final wife Lilia, he had a son named Willie.