THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved its ruling on the application by the Lagos State Government seeking to be joined as a co-respondent in the appeal filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service on the Value Added Tax suit.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, while leading a three-man panel of the court, stated that the ruling was reserved for a later date, which would be communicated to the parties.

Justice Tsammani stated this after listening to the submissions of all the parties on the issue.

In court on Thursday, the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), asserted that Lagos State ought to be joined as the issues emanating from the appeal were also affecting them.

According to him, the state had the constitutional backing to collect VAT.

“My lord, it is not in dispute that Lagos, one of the federating states in Nigeria, is entitled to collect VAT and that’s our interest. Even the appellant recognised our interest in their application for stay of execution and injunction pending appeal.

“The appellant has recognised that Lagos State has an interest in this matter. That been the case, it cannot now lie in the mouth of the appellant to say that Lagos State has no interest in this matter,” he argued.

The lawyer to the Rivers State Government, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), also prayed the court to join its counterpart, Lagos State, in the appeal.

The counsel for FIRS, Mahmoud Magaji (SAN) opposed the application to join Lagos State.

Magaji argued that the Lagos State Government had not shown due cause why they should be joined.

“It’s on record that despite the order of the Appeal Court, Lagos State went ahead to pass VAT Act. We urge your lordship to discountenance their application,” he said.

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Consequently, the presiding judge stated that the date for ruling would be communicated to the parties.

The written address filed by the counsel from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation was struck out on the grounds that it was filed out of time.

Lagos considers joining suit at S’Court

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said the state might join the Value Added Tax suit at the Supreme Court.

Omotoso, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, said the state was an interested party in the Value Added Tax suit.

He said, “Now that the matter is going to the Supreme Court, we are still going to maintain our stand that we should be asked to join the matter because we are an interested party. I think the Lagos State Government is going to be watching closely, and going to be participating actively in whatever is going on.”