The ruling Peoples Democra-tic Party (PDP) has read the riot act to it members by threatening to sanction or dismiss any erring member who takes it to court. Apparently reacting to last Friday's Abuja High Court ruling which set aside the nomination of Prof. Charles Soludo as the Anambra State governorship candidate and Senator Emmanuel Anosike as his running mate for the February 10, 2010 election, the PDP said henceforth, any member that takes it to the court would be dealt with. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Ahmed Alkali, PDP said: "The party hereby directs all those individuals who have taken the party to court on flimsy grounds to withdraw those cases immediately or face the maximum sanctions prescribed by our constitution. Those who wish to remain bona fide members of our party must obey our own rules. "For further emphasis, the party shall wield the big stick on any member, no matter how highly placed who chooses to distract our focus from building a united, cohesive and disciplined political party whose ultimate objective is not just to win elections but also to work for the good of the people of this great country. "In furtherance of our desire to ensure that the party's laid down rules are strictly observed and in order to safeguard the integrity and cohesion of our party, the party shall henceforth take decisive disciplinary action against any erring member who fails to follow our constitutional means of seeking redress." The PDP condemned what it described as gross indiscipline by some party members in some state chapters of the party. Accordingly, it said: "PDP is particularly disturbed by the plethora of unwarranted and misguided court cases instituted by PDP members against the party which are aimed at derailing the cohesion and smooth administration of the party." It therefore reminded members of the provisions of Article 21.1 (I) of its constitution which prohibits members from taking the party to court under whatever guise without first exhausting the internal mechanisms for seeking redress. It also urged members to abide by the resolutions of the 48th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where the National Working Committee (NWC) was mandated to henceforth initiate disciplinary procedures against any member who brings the party to contempt and ridicule. The party said: "It is imperative that all members exercise restraint and utilize available channels of redress within the party rather than a hasty resort to the courts." Meanwhile, the Anambra State chapter of the party has threatened to sanction its governorship candidate for the 2010 election, Soludo, over alleged breach of protocol and disregard for the state executive. Soludo is alleged to have overtime "shown demonstrable disregard for the state executive of his home state (Anambra) while carrying out certain activities with impunity". Addressing journalists in Awka, the state capital, weekend, the state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Afam Ilouno, said the action of Soludo by not identifying or involving the state executive in his activities was embarrassing, just as it fell short of party principles and guidelines. He said: "It is embarrassing that even the national and zonal leadership of the party could enter into a state without any form of communication to the state. It doesn't show cohesion and democracy in action. The action laid credence to the rumour making the rounds that their target is to dissolve the state executive of the party. "It is an embarrassment to the PDP constitution that members of other political parties want to decamp to PDP and the wards, local government and state executives in which they come from are not involved; only for the zone to handle the matter. "As far as the state executives of the party are not aware of what happened today, the so-called decampees are not PDP members and cannot be given our membership cards. What happened today is like what the state executive has been kicking against when no indigene of the state was involved in the process that purportedly threw up Soludo as a candidate."