diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index 664a974b8dd..090fc23c2b0 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2018-02-02  Alan Modra  <amodra@gmail.com>
+
+	* elf64-ppc.c (ppc64_elf_relocate_section): Don't relocate nops
+	emitted for toc sequence optimization.  Set and use "howto" later.
+
 2018-02-01  Simon Marchi  <simon.marchi@ericsson.com>
 
 	* elf64-ppc.c (ppc64_elf_archive_symbol_lookup): Avoid pointer
diff --git a/bfd/elf64-ppc.c b/bfd/elf64-ppc.c
index 9e4a4b5574d..d6ec12fbab5 100644
--- a/bfd/elf64-ppc.c
+++ b/bfd/elf64-ppc.c
@@ -15067,7 +15067,6 @@ ppc64_elf_relocate_section (bfd *output_bfd,
       /* Multi-instruction sequences that access the TOC can be
 	 optimized, eg. addis ra,r2,0; addi rb,ra,x;
 	 to		nop;	       addi rb,r2,x;  */
-      howto = ppc64_elf_howto_table[(int) r_type];
       switch (r_type)
 	{
 	default:
@@ -15099,6 +15098,7 @@ ppc64_elf_relocate_section (bfd *output_bfd,
 	    {
 	      bfd_byte *p = contents + (rel->r_offset & ~3);
 	      bfd_put_32 (input_bfd, NOP, p);
+	      goto copy_reloc;
 	    }
 	  break;
 
@@ -15140,9 +15140,13 @@ ppc64_elf_relocate_section (bfd *output_bfd,
 		/* xgettext:c-format */
 		info->callbacks->minfo
 		  (_("%H: warning: %s unexpected insn %#x.\n"),
-		   input_bfd, input_section, rel->r_offset, howto->name, insn);
+		   input_bfd, input_section, rel->r_offset,
+		   ppc64_elf_howto_table[r_type]->name, insn);
 	      else
-		bfd_put_32 (input_bfd, NOP, p);
+		{
+		  bfd_put_32 (input_bfd, NOP, p);
+		  goto copy_reloc;
+		}
 	    }
 	  break;
 
@@ -15240,7 +15244,7 @@ ppc64_elf_relocate_section (bfd *output_bfd,
 		/* xgettext:c-format */
 		(_("%H: error: %s not a multiple of %u\n"),
 		 input_bfd, input_section, rel->r_offset,
-		 howto->name,
+		 ppc64_elf_howto_table[r_type]->name,
 		 mask + 1);
 	      bfd_set_error (bfd_error_bad_value);
 	      ret = FALSE;
@@ -15252,6 +15256,7 @@ ppc64_elf_relocate_section (bfd *output_bfd,
       /* Dynamic relocs are not propagated for SEC_DEBUGGING sections
 	 because such sections are not SEC_ALLOC and thus ld.so will
 	 not process them.  */
+      howto = ppc64_elf_howto_table[(int) r_type];
       if (unresolved_reloc
 	  && !((input_section->flags & SEC_DEBUGGING) != 0
 	       && h->elf.def_dynamic)