diff --git a/opal/mca/event/libevent2022/configure.m4 b/opal/mca/event/libevent2022/configure.m4
index 5ace9dc57d6..4db7ae77696 100644
--- a/opal/mca/event/libevent2022/configure.m4
+++ b/opal/mca/event/libevent2022/configure.m4
@@ -190,13 +190,15 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_opal_event_libevent2022_CONFIG],[
 
     AS_IF([test "$with_libevent" != "internal" && test -n "$with_libevent" && test "$with_libevent" != "yes"],
           [AC_MSG_WARN([using an external libevent; disqualifying this component])
-           libevent_happy=no])
-
-    AS_IF([test "$libevent_happy" = "yes" && test -r $libevent_file],
-          [OPAL_HAVE_WORKING_EVENTOPS=`grep HAVE_WORKING_EVENTOPS $libevent_file | awk '{print [$]3 }'`
-           $1],
-          [$2
-           OPAL_HAVE_WORKING_EVENTOPS=0])
+           libevent_happy=no],
+
+          [AS_IF([test "$libevent_happy" = "yes" && test -r $libevent_file],
+            [OPAL_HAVE_WORKING_EVENTOPS=`grep HAVE_WORKING_EVENTOPS $libevent_file | awk '{print [$]3 }'`
+              $1],
+            [$2
+              OPAL_HAVE_WORKING_EVENTOPS=0])
+          ]
+    )
 
     OPAL_VAR_SCOPE_POP
 ])