The CPP was ready when the Report of the Coussey Committee was published in October 1949.
Anticipating that its constitutional proposals would be unacceptable, plans had been made for Positive Action

Nkrumah explained what was meant by Positive action in a statement written in 1949 entitled What I mean by Positive Action. He listed the weapons off Positive Action as:

The final stage of Positive Action would only be employed if all other avenues to achieve self-government had been closed.

As expected, the Coussey Committee’s constitutional proposals provided for very limited African participation in government.

The CPP organised the summoning of a Ghana People’s Representative Assembly. The Assembly passed a resolution declaring the Coussey proposals unacceptable, and proposing amendments.

On 15th December, the Executive Committee of the CPP informed the Governor, Sir Charles Arden-Clarke, that unless the legitimate aspirations of the people as embodied in the proposed amendments to the Coussey Committee’s report were accepted, the CPP would declare Positive Action. The Governor was given two weeks in which to accedes to the CPPs request for the calling of a Constituent Assembly.

A wave of arrest followed. Editors of newspapers founded in the Sekondi Morning Telegraph.

After several meeting with the colonial authorities, it was clear that no  constituent Assembly would be called. Nkrumah, therefore on 8 January 1950 proclaim positive Action. He then went to Cape Coast, Sekondi and Tarkwa to declare that Positive Action had begun. He called for a general strike to include all except those engaged in maintaining essential services such as hospitals and water supplies. Shops and offices closed. Roads and rail services came to a standstill.

The colonial government responded on 10 January by declaring a state of emergency. The offices of CPP newspapers were raided and closed.

Arrest of CPP leadership

By 22nd January 1950,all CPP leaders had been arrested. Nkrumah was taken to James Fort prison in Accra, charged with inciting people to take part in an illegal strike in an attempts to coerce the government. He was found guilty and sentenced to three years imprisonment. Things would never be the same again. The CPP had shown that an unarmed people could demonstrate the effectiveness of unified effort in the form of Positive Action. Never again would they accept that it was hopeless to challenge a seemingly mighty power structure. The political revolution in the Gold Coast had begun in earnest.

1951 Election 

There were three landslide CPP election victories in the year up to independence. The first was held in February 1951 while Nkrumah was in James Fort. From prison he stood as official CPP candidate for the Accra Central constituency, conducting the election campaign from his prison cell. He was helped by a friendly warder who managed to smuggle messages to party headquarters, where the work of the CPP was continuing. A concise CPP election manifesto, written on sheets of toilets paper, was delivered to CPP/HQ in this way.

CPP manifestos were always short, simple and direct leaving the electorate in no doubt about what a CPP victory would mean. The expressed just what the majority of the people wanted. As election result showed, the CPP correctly gauged the pulse of the nation.

In 1951 the manifesto could be summed up in three words: Self-Government NOW.

The election result was a resounding victory for the CPP. The party won 34 out of a possible 38 elected seats, and had a majority in the Assembly over the nominated member. Nkrumah was elected for Accra Central with 22,780 votes from possible 23,122, the largest individuals poll so far recorded.

Faced with this result the Governor was compelled to release Nkrumah from prison to become Leader of Government Business.

In the following years the CPP kept up pressure on the colonial government. While African had a majority in the Assembly and the Executive Council, the ex-officio members appointed by the Governor controlled the key areas of defence, external affairs, finance and justice. They held the real reins of power to vote any legislation and the authority to prorogue or dissolve parliament. It was situation which the CPP was not prepared to tolerate. 

On 5 March 1952, Nkrumah’s position as Leader of Government Business disappeared from the constitution, the office of Prime Ministers replacing it.

Nkrumah, as leader of the CPP, become the first African prime minister.

The way had been cleared for the final steps to be taken towards independence. There were eight Ghanaians in the Cabinet of eleven, but still the Governors nominees held the key ministries.