Nigeria, Sept. 12 -- Lawyers have expressed mixed reactions to Friday's ruling of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which ordered parties to the Value Added Tax (VAT) collection dispute to "maintain status quo ante bellum."

The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, had in a judgement declared that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had no constitutional backing to collect VAT in the state, thereby clothing the Rivers government with the power to do so.

However, the federal revenue agency was dissatisfied with the trial court's verdict, and subsequently approached the Court of Appeal to stay execution of the decision.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, ruling on the application, ordered the parties to "...