Born in Columbus, Ohio, Obinwa spent time in his youth with Chicago Magic PSG, an affiliate of French club Paris Saint-Germain.

[5] He made his first appearance for Columbus on July 17 in a friendly against German club Eintracht Frankfurt, replacing Mohammed Abu in the 67th minute of a 1–0 victory for Crew SC.

[8] Obinwa made his professional debut on April 8, 2017, against Charleston Battery, entering in the 13th minute to replace fellow Crew SC loanee Ben Swanson as the Riverhounds picked up a 2–1 victory.

[11] Obinwa returned to the United States by signing with USL League One's South Georgia Tormenta FC on December 12, 2019.

Obinwa made three appearances for the U18s at the 2014 U18 International Tournament in Lisbon, Portugal, where he played alongside future club teammate Ben Swanson.

In July 2013, sixteen-year-old Obinwa controversially failed an MRI test when undergoing assessment to represent the Nigeria U17 team at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup despite having the necessary paperwork from his country of birth, the United States.