Attempts to install sudo 1.8.27 into a non-standard location using the configure prefix option fails due to hard coded references to /usr/local/libexec

For example:
$ ./configure --prefix=/tmp/relocate --disable-shared
$ make
$ make install

Abbreviated output shows error:
....
mkdir /usr/local/libexec/sudo
mkdir: 0653-357 Cannot access directory /usr/local/libexec.
/usr/local/libexec: The file access permissions do not allow the specified action.
make: 1254-004 The error code from the last command is 2.

The following hard coded references appear to be the cause:
$ egrep  /usr/local/libexec configure

noexec_file=/usr/local/libexec/sudo/sudo_noexec.so
sesh_file=/usr/local/libexec/sudo/sesh
PLUGINDIR=/usr/local/libexec/sudo

My understanding is these directories should be under ${libexecdir}. Performing the following substitution before running configure allows the installation to complete:
$ cp configure configure.orig
$ sed -e 's:/usr/local/libexec:${libexecdir}:' configure.orig > configure


Full output from original failing command : make install

        for d in lib/util lib/zlib plugins/group_file plugins/sudoers  plugins/system_group src include doc examples; do  (cd $d && exec make pre-install) && continue;  exit $?;  done
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
Target "pre-install" is up to date.
        for d in lib/util lib/zlib plugins/group_file plugins/sudoers  plugins/system_group src include doc examples; do  (cd $d && exec make "INSTALL_OWNER=-o 0 -g 0" install) && continue;  exit $?;  done
        /bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs /tmp/relocate/libexec/sudo
mkdir /tmp/relocate/libexec
mkdir /tmp/relocate/libexec/sudo
        case "-static -export-symbols ./util.exp" in  *-no-install*) ;;  *)  if [ X"no" = X"yes" ]; then  INSTALL_BACKUP='' /bin/sh ../../libtool  --quiet --mode=install /bin/sh ../../install-sh -c -o 0 -g 0 libsudo_util.la /tmp/relocate/libexec/sudo;  fi;;  esac
        case "-no-install -static -export-symbols ./zlib.exp" in  *-no-install*) ;;  *)  if [ X"no" = X"yes" ]; then  INSTALL_BACKUP='' /bin/sh ../../libtool  --quiet --mode=install /bin/sh ../../install-sh -c -o 0 -g 0 libsudo_z.la /tmp/relocate/libexec/sudo;  fi;;  esac
        /bin/sh ../../mkinstalldirs /usr/local/libexec/sudo
mkdir /usr/local/libexec/sudo
mkdir: 0653-357 Cannot access directory /usr/local/libexec.
/usr/local/libexec: The file access permissions do not allow the specified action.
make: 1254-004 The error code from the last command is 2.

Stop.
make: 1254-004 The error code from the last command is 2.