diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/ini.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/ini.py
index ee41ae4d95..82d4e1899d 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/ini.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/inventory/ini.py
@@ -179,18 +179,13 @@ class InventoryModule(BaseFileInventoryPlugin):
                     # Either [groupname] or [groupname:children] is sufficient to declare a group,
                     # but [groupname:vars] is allowed only if the # group is declared elsewhere.
                     # We add the group anyway, but make a note in pending_declarations to check at the end.
-                    if state == 'vars':
-
-                        # It's possible that a group is previously pending due to being
-                        # defined as a child group, in that case we simply pass so that
-                        # the logic below to process pending declarations will take the
-                        # appropriate action for a pending child group instead of
-                        # incorrectly handling it as a var state pending declaration
-                        if groupname in pending_declarations:
-                            if pending_declarations[groupname]['state'] == 'children':
-                                pass
-                        else:
-                            pending_declarations[groupname] = dict(line=self.lineno, state=state, name=groupname)
+                    #
+                    # It's possible that a group is previously pending due to being defined as a child
+                    # group, in that case we simply pass so that the logic below to process pending
+                    # declarations will take the appropriate action for a pending child group instead of
+                    # incorrectly handling it as a var state pending declaration
+                    if state == 'vars' and groupname not in pending_declarations:
+                        pending_declarations[groupname] = dict(line=self.lineno, state=state, name=groupname)
 
                     self.inventory.add_group(groupname)