Describe the bug

VirtualServers stays INVALID after NIC POD (re)start

Loading the configuration to a running NIC works. After restart of the POD the VirtualServers stays INVALID forever. NGINX however has a valid configuration and handles traffic. When the reload timeout is increased from default 60s the VirtualServers become VALID.

To Reproduce
See above

Expected behavior
VirtualServers should be VALID despite how many of them

Your environment

Reproduced in the following env:

• NGINX Ingress Controller 3.5.0, Plus with AppProtect
• Version of Kubernetes: 1.27
• Kubernetes platform: kind
• N number of VirtualServers each with a unique ApPolicy (N=20 can trigger the problem)

Additional context
This line in ./kubernetes-ingress/internal/nginx/verify.go logs:
return fmt.Errorf("could not get expected version: %v after %v", expectedVersion, c.timeout)