diff --git a/common/namespace/handler.go b/common/namespace/handler.go
index a86591e5df2..594236f9202 100644
--- a/common/namespace/handler.go
+++ b/common/namespace/handler.go
@@ -846,16 +846,7 @@ func (d *HandlerImpl) maybeUpdateFailoverHistory(
 		d.logger.Debug("updateReplicationConfig was nil")
 		return failoverHistory
 	}
-	desiredReplicationState := updateReplicationConfig.State
-	if desiredReplicationState == enumspb.REPLICATION_STATE_UNSPECIFIED {
-		desiredReplicationState = namespaceDetail.ReplicationConfig.State
-	}
-	// N.B., UNSPECIFIED is the same as NORMAL
-	if desiredReplicationState != enumspb.REPLICATION_STATE_NORMAL &&
-		desiredReplicationState != enumspb.REPLICATION_STATE_UNSPECIFIED {
-		d.logger.Debug("Replication state not NORMAL", tag.NewAnyTag("state", updateReplicationConfig.State))
-		return failoverHistory
-	}
+
 	lastFailoverVersion := int64(-1)
 	if l := len(namespaceDetail.ReplicationConfig.FailoverHistory); l > 0 {
 		lastFailoverVersion = namespaceDetail.ReplicationConfig.FailoverHistory[l-1].FailoverVersion
diff --git a/common/namespace/handler_test.go b/common/namespace/handler_test.go
index 6172c0075ca..056aa1ae57a 100644
--- a/common/namespace/handler_test.go
+++ b/common/namespace/handler_test.go
@@ -608,6 +608,12 @@ func (s *namespaceHandlerCommonSuite) TestUpdateNamespace_UpdateActiveClusterWit
 				ActiveClusterName: clusterName2,
 				Clusters:          []string{clusterName1, clusterName2},
 				State:             enumspb.REPLICATION_STATE_HANDOVER,
+				FailoverHistory: []*persistencespb.FailoverStatus{
+					{
+						FailoverTime:    timestamp.TimePtr(update1Time),
+						FailoverVersion: 2,
+					},
+				},
 			},
 			ConfigVersion:               int64(0),
 			FailoverNotificationVersion: version,