The Travails of Obinna Oriaku: Why Abia State Government called for his substitution as FCC Nominee

A fruitful tree attracts many stones.
For Chief Obinna Oriaku, his only “crime” appears to be his commitment to accountability, particularly his insistence that the Abia State Government acknowledge the positive outcomes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms, including the fuel subsidy removal that significantly increased federal allocations to states.

Chief Obinna Oriaku is widely known in Abia political and administrative circles. When his nomination to represent Abia State at the Federal Character Commission was announced, the Abia State chapter of the PDP publicly congratulated him and appreciated President Bola Tinubu for finding him worthy of the appointment even though Oriaku is not a PDP member.

Many regard Oriaku as perhaps the most effective Commissioner for Finance in Abia State. Serving pro bono while on secondment from First Bank Nigeria, he honed his public sector skills serving under two Governor’s of Enugu State ( Chimaroke& Sullivan) as their offical banker. He worked as Commissioner for Finance under Ikpeazu 2015 to 2019. His tenure was defined by sweeping institutional reforms most notably the automation of the state’s salary payment system which greatly reduced leakages.

In recent years, Oriaku became one of the most vocal advocates of the Renewed Hope Agenda in Abia State. His consistent insistence that President Tinubu be credited for federal interventions and policy-driven improvements became uncomfortable for the present administration in Abia, which prefers to market every progress as a personal achievement.

His visibility grew across Abia and beyond, and he soon emerged as one of the most recognizable APC voices in the state and a respected interpreter of federal reforms and a symbol of good governance advocacy.

It therefore came as a shock when news broke that he had been replaced as the nominee for the Federal Character Commission by a Labour Party figure and former local Government Chairman of Umuahia North. Stakeholders across party lines were stunned, especially given Oriaku’s pedigree: First runner-up in the 2023 APC governorship primaries, Member of the finance subcommittee of the Presidential Campaign Council, and One of the few consistent APC voices in the Southeast even when it wasn’t politically fashionable to identify with the party

Yet even after this development, his press statement reaffirming loyalty to the APC and to President Tinubu reassured many of his unshaken dedication.

When Oriaku assumed office as Commissioner for Finance in 2015, he initiated major reforms, centralizing and automating the payroll system. These actions upset entrenched interests who thrived under opacity. The same forces reportedly vowed never to allow him near higher responsibilities, such as the Chief of Staff role earlier mentioned but never formalized.

In the end, he was eased out in 2019. Many now agree that his controversial exit contributed significantly, some say up to 70% to the cause of PDP’s failure in the 2023 elections. With time, many of his former critics came to acknowledge that he meant well while in government, leading to a broad reconciliation in Abia political circles.

His “Offence”: Telling the Truth From the inception of the Otti administration, Chief Oriaku became one of the earliest voices highlighting gaps in transparency, accountability, and governance. His so-called offences which were published by known social media platforms including “Mouthpiece”, include:

1.) Exposing the hidden facts that the 7 Federal roads on going in Abia State has the approval of APC led Federal Government, Stating that no federal road can be built by the State without presidential approval, and that several roads already had reimbursement processes underway, contrary to state government claims which undermines the broad disposition of Federal Government to Abia State even as a opposition state .
1b Demanding transparency on these roads as the cost and terms of these roads are hidden from Abians.

2.) Insisting that the APC-led Federal Government be credited for Federal project’s such as construction of a 1×7.5MVA, 33/11kV Injection Substation, 1km of 33kV line, 1.2km of 11kV line, 2km of 0.415kV low-tension line, and the installation of two (2Nos) 300kVA, 11/0.415kV distribution transformers in Umuahia, flagged off last week in Umuahia by NDPHC, which the state government presented as its own thereby denying APC their flowers.

3.) Revealing that Abia State received approximately N38 billion monthly between April and June 2025 as total revenue, as Stated in the SFTAS report prepared and signed of by the statutory signatories of the State (excluding LG allocations), an increase made possible by President Tinubu’s subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, not any mystical ingenuity as claimed by Abia State Government.

4.) Challenging the state on unpaid pensions and gratuities, arguing that with current allocations, Abia could clear its arrears just as Imo, Zamfara, and Katsina have done. Abia has not paid a single kobo of its N70 billion backlog gratuity dating to 2003 and pockets of unpaid pensions.

5.) Questioning the alleged N85 billion supposedly spent on school renovations, demanding to know the location of those renovated schools since very few have been visibly executed till date .

These exposures, especially the truth about federal allocations angered the state government deeply. The Deputy Speaker ,Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu was also recently demonised for demanding more accountability and transparency in Abia .

There have been attempts to silence him. In what many describe as political persecution, the Abia State Government reportedly took the following actions:

i.) Through one of the Governors aides, Oriaku was dragged to court in Lagos on defamation charges.
(Suit No: LD/ADR/5716/2024)
ii.) Filed another case against him in Abia (Suit No: A/60/2025)
iii.) Petitioned him to the EFCC in Abuja. All these is just to muzzle him so that Nigeria’s will not know the difference between real Abia and social media Abia. He was released the same day by EFCC on personal recognition, and the petition was dismissed despite being a former Commissioner for Finance subjected to that level of scrutiny.

The state government also allegedly frustrated his tax clearance at the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue on seeing his request for tax clearance certificate, prompting him to obtain one in Enugu State where he has lived since 2005. Ironically, the same tax issue was allegedly used to petition against his FCC nomination, with help from a reinstated BIR chairman who had been sacked during Oriaku’s reforms as Commissioner in Abia.

In his official response to the substitution, Oriaku stated that he is not discouraged. He reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC and to President Tinubu and emphasized his responsibility to continue speaking truthfully about governance.

He also demanded transparency from the Abia State Government concerning; The alleged N85 billion spent on school renovations, N32 billion claimed as compensation paid from 2024 to September 2025, which many supposed beneficiaries say they never received and the correct application of FG interventions like CNG/LNG funds released by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of reforms.

Throughout his advocacy, Oriaku has repeatedly challenged the government to publish any financial wrongdoing from his tenure (2015–2019). None has ever been found.

The bottom line is that Oriaku’s advocacy directly contradicts the state government’s window-dressing on social media when compared with reality on ground. This is why they cooked up these allegations to downplay his growing influence and efforts to uplift the APC and strengthen opposition politics in Abia State.

Obinna Oriaku’s travails are not unexpected. A man who demands accountability in a system resistant to scrutiny is bound to attract hostility. Yet his dedication to transparent governance, fiscal truth, and accurate acknowledgment of President Tinubu’s reforms remains unshaken.

His ordeal has only strengthened his influence and amplified his voice. In the end, his truth will stand because fruitful trees may attract stones, but they continue to bear fruit.

Eric Ikwuagwu
Immediate Past, State Publicity Secretary, Abia State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)