During last year the palace announced that oba of benin was not dead but stating that "the leopard was ill in the Savannah bush”. And just yesterday the news of his death was broken with the breaking of chalk at the entrance of the palace by the Iyasere of benin kingdom while the people around mourns.
After the demise of the oba, all necessary traditional rites and initiations for the installation of a new oba has to be fully completed. And this process takes a longer time to complete as this rites is a security to the throne. So the announcement is due to the fact that what needs to be done has been done months back, and the coronation proper would take its course.

I thought you were going to give us reasons,well am Bini and I knew he was dead since last year(you know the kind of news you hear from the winds)

erusen:
I thought you were going to give us reasons,well am Bini and I knew he was dead since last year(you know the kind of news you hear from the winds)

The reason being that after the demise of the oba, all necessary traditional rites and initiations for the installation of a new oba has to be fully completed. And this process takes a longer time to complete as this rites is a security to the throne. So the announcement is due to the fact that what needs to be done has been done, and the coronation proper would take its course.