Is Dr. Asue Ighodalo the Political Reincarnation of Ambrose Alli?

By Saintmoses Eromosele

As our dear Edo State gears up for a pivotal election, the candidacy of Dr. Asuerinme Akintunde Ighodalo has sparked comparisons to the late Professor Ambrose Folorunsho Alli, one of the most revered governors in our state’s history. Both men share remarkable similarities, raising the question: Is Dr. Ighodalo a political reincarnation of Ambrose Alli?

Born to Yoruba mothers and carrying Yoruba middle names, both Alli and Ighodalo bridge cultural divides. Despite being raised outside their Esan villages of Emaudo and Ewohimi, respectively, with limited proficiency in the Esan language, they excelled in their respective fields—Alli as a Professor of Morbid Anatomy and Ighodalo as a PhD holder and co-founder of one of Africa’s largest law firms.

Their choice of non-native spouses—Alli’s foreign wife and Ighodalo’s Igbo wife—reflects their openness and inclusive leadership style. Professor Alli, who passed away at the age of 60, is remembered as one of the greatest governors Edo has ever had, leaving a legacy of impactful governance on every inch of soil of the defunct Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states) that he governed.

Now in his 60s, Dr. Ighodalo enters gubernatorial politics, echoing the legacy of Alli. His candidacy offers Edo State the opportunity to revisit the principles that made Alli’s tenure so remarkable. The parallels between the two suggest a potential return to greatness and – as Dr Ighodalo puts it in his Manifesto – Prosperity, for Edo State under Ighodalo’s leadership.

Is this a political reincarnation? While Ambrose Alli is gone, the spirit of his leadership seems to live on in Dr. Asue Ighodalo. As we the Edo voters consider our options, let us find in Ighodalo the same promise of progress and prosperity that Alli once delivered.

Saintmoses Eromosele writes from his Cassava farm in Ewu, Esan Central LGA