Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, is celebrated as a founding father, a pan-Africanist, and the country’s first Prime Minister.

But one lesser-known fact about the iconic leader is that he also served as a Member of Parliament for what is today known as the Odododiodio Constituency.

Kwame Nkrumah@116: The legacies of Ghana's 1st President

In the 1951 Gold Coast elections, Nkrumah contested and won the Odododiodio seat, which was then called Accra Central.

He won this seat while he was still held in prison for his political activism against colonial rule.

This victory made him the first MP for the area and marked the beginning of his formal journey in governance.

According to The Chronicle newspaper in 2023, Dr Nkrumah won the 1951 legislative elections, the first in Africa under universal adult suffrage, by polling 22,780 votes out of 23,122 valid votes cast, securing his position as the Member of Parliament for Accra Central (now Odododiodio Constituency).

Though he was born in Nkroful, Odododiodio has since been recognised as Nkrumah’s political home, anchoring his rise to become the Leader of Government Business and eventually the first Prime Minister of independent Ghana.

How Kwame Nkrumah got the name Osagyefo and his connection with Asantes

This constituency holds a special place in Ghanaian history, often celebrated for its central role in the nation’s independence struggle and as the seat of the country’s first MP.

He became Prime Minister in 1952 and retained the position when he led Ghana to independence from Britain in 1957, the first in sub-Saharan Africa at the time.

MAG/VPO

Watch as Angel Asiamah prays for President Mahama, Lordina, and Veep