Can I use my Wii U gamepad as a controller for Wii Virtual Console?

I'm talking about the Wii menu extension from my Wii U. Can my Wii U gamepad be used for games I downloaded to the Wii menu from Wii Virtual Console? It has all the buttons needed for such games, and would save me the trouble of going to buy a "pro controller" or whatever it's called. If we can do this, can someone tell me how? If we can't do this, why the heck not? Thanks