The independence legislation began to take shape following the return of the
Convention People's Party to power at the
Gold Coast general election of 1954. The party won 79 out of 104 seats. The Gold Coast government expressed its hope of achieving independence within the lifetime of the new assembly. A dispute within the Gold Coast about the form of Constitution after independence was still unresolved as late as 1956. The same year the United Kingdom government publicly stated that provided it had the support of a "reasonable majority", the United Kingdom was prepared to legislate for the Gold Coast to have independence within the British Commonwealth. The
Secretary of State for the Colonies added that "[f]ull membership of the Commonwealth is, of course, a different question and is a matter for consultation between all existing members of the Commonwealth." This distinction reflected the view that full Commonwealth membership required the consent of all Commonwealth members. Ultimately, Ghana's full Commonwealth membership was consented to by all Commonwealth members. The Commonwealth's agreement to this was announced by the United Kingdom prime minister on 21 February 1957.
Letters patent constituting the office of the
Governor-General of Ghana and
royal instructions to the Governor-General were issued on 23 February 1957 and became effective on 6 March 1957. An
Order in Council provided Ghana with its first constitution. ==Independence Day==