diff --git a/app/models/group.rb b/app/models/group.rb
index 2b4fd148441e48e9ee5bb092d671777f16d3f557..9b95e3ec809aba654dbc0b7df05ed967db3115bd 100644
--- a/app/models/group.rb
+++ b/app/models/group.rb
@@ -104,10 +104,6 @@ def avatar_url(size = nil)
     end
   end
 
-  def owners
-    @owners ||= group_members.owners.includes(:user).map(&:user)
-  end
-
   def add_users(user_ids, access_level, current_user = nil, skip_notification: false)
     user_ids.each do |user_id|
       Member.add_user(self.group_members, user_id, access_level, current_user, skip_notification: skip_notification)
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/ldap/group_sync_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/ldap/group_sync_spec.rb
index 46ff87a9172ab1ad94c70ced50f59b2e9d4d544c..d692de89d413bb57a54523ff99a7837058250215 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/ldap/group_sync_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/ldap/group_sync_spec.rb
@@ -160,18 +160,17 @@
             group_access: Gitlab::Access::DEVELOPER,
             provider: 'ldapmain'
           )
-          group1.add_users([user1.id],
+
+          group1.add_users([user1.id, user2.id],
             Gitlab::Access::OWNER, skip_notification: true)
         end
 
-        it 'refuses to downgrade the last owner' do
-          expect { group_sync.sync_groups }
-            .not_to change {
-              group1.members.where(
-                user_id: user1.id,
-                access_level: Gitlab::Access::OWNER
-              ).any?
-            }
+        # Check two users in a loop to uncover any stale group owner data
+        it 'downgrades one user but not the other' do
+          group_sync.sync_groups
+
+          expect(group1.members.pluck(:access_level).sort)
+            .to eq([Gitlab::Access::DEVELOPER, Gitlab::Access::OWNER])
         end
 
         context 'when user is a member of two groups from different providers' do