Pass LDFLAGS to apxs using "-Wl,". This patch should be sent to the developers.
--- src/Makefile.in.orig	2016-10-19 15:07:34.000000000 -0500
+++ src/Makefile.in	2019-01-16 12:02:39.000000000 -0600
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@
 top_srcdir = @top_srcdir@
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 WC = -Wc,"$(CFLAGS)"
+WL = -Wl,"$(LDFLAGS)"
 CLEANFILES = *.la *.lo *.o *.so *.slo .libs/*
 EXTRA_DIST = mod_maxminddb.c
 all: all-am
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@

 #   compile the DSO file
 module: mod_maxminddb.c $(TARGET)
-	$(APXS) -c $(LDFLAGS) $(LIBMAXMINDDB_LDFLAGS) $(LIBS) $(WC) $(APXS_LDFLAGS) mod_maxminddb.c
+	$(APXS) -c $(WL) $(LIBMAXMINDDB_LDFLAGS) $(LIBS) $(WC) $(APXS_LDFLAGS) mod_maxminddb.c

 install-exec-local: module
 	$(APXS) -i -a -n maxminddb .libs/mod_maxminddb.so